WE'RE OUT TO DISCOVER!

Scuttle, from The Little Mermaid, is my adventure spirit animal.  Often misguided and confused, an adventure is an adventure.  "We're out to discover!"

Any time I hear the music from Pirates of the Caribbean, I feel like going on an adventure.  I also feel like I'm endlessly playing Lego Pirates of the Caribbean.

The prompt for today was to share what music makes you feel adventurous.  What makes you feel adventurous?  Is it music?  A burning question?  Boredom?

2018 - Let's Do This

When I was thinking about arbitrary New Year resolutions I could gleefully decimate or habits I could track in my fancy new non-bullet journal journal (n-bujo-jo, for the hip), I remembered that I have a blog.  I also remembered that I loved writing and I haven't done much of it in a very long time.

Armed with 365 prompts and endless electronics which connect to the intarwebz, I find myself with no excuse not to blog. So, here we go.

Also, I'm making up for Monday because I already skipped day one (HA).

Jan. 1 - What are you most looking forward to?

Positive change.  I need to be more mindful of the things I do and how they effect me mentally, physically, and financially.  Yes, this all sounds like work, but holy cats, it's about dang time.

I've been watching some of my friends set up their fancy bujos (bullet journals).  I started pinning ideas I liked for my own bujo.  My wonderful mother, though confused by my request for pens and markers for Christmas, bought me what I asked for.

I set out to make my own bujo.  After several days of frustration and stress (this thing was supposed to make my life better, not more stressful), I gave up.  I mean, really, I can't even handle the stress of adult coloring books.  I can't imagine what made me think I would find peace/happiness/whatever-it-is-you're-supposed-to-find by making one of these things.

In a random retail therapy trip to Hobby Lobby, I discovered their Create 365 - The Happy Planner line of planner things.

Now, I put everything of importance on my Google/MS Office Calendars.  If it needs to be done, or someone needs me somewhere at a particular time, it goes there.  Then I get reminders on my myriad of connected devices.  I have no need for an actual planner for things like that.

However, these things have stickers.  LOTS of stickers.  I like stickers.

So, I bought a mini planner and an obscene amount of stickers (thousands...).  I also bought more pens because I found some which were glittery and my world needs a little more shine right now.

My mother thought I was crazy for numbering each day of the year on my new calendar.  I know you can buy calendars with the days already labeled for you, but this one has STICKERS for each day!

I've put a few different things on the sideline under "Notes" that I intend to track: Blogged, No Spend, No Sugar, Cooked at Home, etc.  

I'm hoping this new toy keeps me entertained enough to keep to these resolutions/goals.

Jan. 2 - Three goals for this month.

I feel less bad for starting this blogging thing on day 2 as opposed to day 1 since the prompt is connected.

One of my main goals I'm tracking in my n-bujo-jo is No Spend - my goal to spend less on stupid (though fun) stuff.  So far, so good.  I fear I'll just save up everything I want to buy and buy it all at once so it looks like I've made progress in my n-bujo-jo... We'll see.

A huge goal is to start renovations on my bathroom.  Our bathroom had to be torn out completely due to mold and moisture in the insulation in the walls.  It's unrelated to Harvey, but it occurred at the same time.  Let's just say the people who flipped our house before we bought it deserve whatever poor karma comes their way.  

Finally, I need to get my eyes checked.  My old glasses work ok... but not well enough for me to want to bother with them.  

My Midlife Crisis

After taking a moment to sit back and consider my life, I realized that I am having a midlife crisis.  Really, there's no need to panic - I think all of my "crazy" is actually what most would call normal.

When my mother had her midlife crisis, she bought tap shoes, a baton, and a hoola hoop.  She wore said shoes to work.  (I may need a pair...)

They looked something like these, if I recall correctly.

My midlife crisis looks like gardening, buying stocks instead of more shoes, planning out meals, and doing The Big Purge.  I'm not sure which one surprises me more.

As previously posted, I bought plants while out of my right mind.  12 out of 12 of the plants (Blue Hostas) in the front yard are happy and thriving.  The two butterfly trees I purchased are doing okay in the back yard.  I ordered 6 more plants - Mandarin Honeysuckle and Gardenia "frost proof" shrubs.   I really want a watering can and new water hoses. (WHO HAVE I BECOME?!)

I decided to start playing with the stock market.  Instead of buying more shoes I won't wear (I have over 60 pairs and rarely wear anything other than my tennies), I decided to buy stock.  I have no idea what I am doing, but I do know that I've already lost 42 cents in my first week of stock ownership.  It's bullshit, I say.

 While I was in El Paso, I bought a chalkboard weekly menu board with the intention of meal planning.  We typically go out 4/7 nights a week, with the remaining three spent ordering take out or fast food.  In an effort to increase our bank account balances and decrease our waistlines, the decision was made to eat in more often.

The Big Purge has begun.  I am a (recovering) make-up hoarder.  It took me two hours and several trash bags to clear out 2 of my make-up drawers.  I'm not done.  Next up will be my closet.  After that, the craft closet and office (summer project - gonna need time for that one).  

I don't know about most people's midlife crises, but I'm thinking it might be a good thing if mine become regular habits.

Nocturnal Gardening, Shovel Services, and the Mosquito Den of Creation

I know that had a fever and/or was highly medicated when I decided it would be a good idea to order live plants on the Internet.  I was in crazy mode and ordered all sorts of things for DIY house plans!  I also ordered wallpaper.  That's another story for another day.

I selected the plants based on the fact that the sale said that they would tolerate lots of water or drought (this equals I can ignore them).  Also, they're blue plants.

They're "Cool Blue Mix Hosta" plants, whatever that means.

They arrived yesterday with the instructions to plant immediately.  I've been really sick lately and Dan is still sick, which meant the planting had to be soon, but not immediately as suggested.  Dan and I set out for garden soil, gloves, a tiny shovel, and a kickboard to save my aging knees (32 is hard!).

By the time we got home from the store, it was after 9 pm and dark.  I sent Dan inside because he has the death plague.  I grabbed a rather large shovel and set out to work.

Let me sidebar for a moment - I've joked/"joked" with one of my friends for years that she has unlimited "shovel services" since we're such good friends.  This translates to I'll bury whomever she needs me to bury when the time comes.  I suppose, before tonight, I'd never really used a shovel seriously.  IT'S A LOT OF WORK.  While I know it will definitely mean more loose ends if we have to hire outside help for shovel services, that's where we are.  I had a hard enough time digging up the soil in the planters by my front door to mix it with the gardening soil.  I absolutely doubt my abilities to dig a large hole.  So, all shovel services are officially cancelled.

Must be great at digging holes

Back to my nocturnal gardening adventure.  I managed to get 2 of the 4 bags of soil put out and mixed in with the stuff that was already there.  I planted the dang live root plant things.  I watered them.  I cleaned up (most of) my mess.  

All the while, I was thinking that it was amazing that I was not being bothered by the legions of mosquitoes which guard my front door.  Anyone who has been to my house knows that the front door area of my house is the Mosquito Den of Creation - where all mosquitoes come from.  They swarm even when it is chilly.

The entire time I was out there, not a single mosquito even came near enough for me to hear its high pitched buzz.  I was seriously impressed by the bracelet things I bought from Big Lots for $0.95 each.  I bought two and stuck one on each wrist.  Totally worked.  I highly recommend these things if you're going to exist in the outside world with mosquitoes.  

Buy these!  Buy all of these if you see them!  They work!

I'll update at some point with pictures of the plants, should they ever actually grow into things with leaves.  For now, I am going to go celebrate my nocturnal gardening accomplishments with some Easter clearance blue Peeps.

Unsupervised

Dan had to work late today.  While I dislike him being at work so late and having to work so much overtime... I have to admit... I kind of like being left unsupervised for a few hours.  

Usually, when I am left on my own for dinner, I'll eat popcorn.  I absolutely love all popcorn.  It could even be stale - I really don't care.  

While I have not yet attempted popcorning in this style, it appears to be the best idea since bendy straws.

One of my favorite places to eat popcorn has become the bathtub.  I'll pour in some bubble bath, set up my iPad, watch Netflix, and eat popcorn.  It's one of my happy places.

The last time Dan was going to be home after dinner, he asked I not eat just popcorn for dinner.  He knows me so well.  Instead, I ate Honey Nut Cheerios out of the box.  (I'm an adult!)

I find myself eating Cheerios from a box fairly frequently.  I'm terrible at remembering or making time to pack my lunch for school.  I don't have a terribly long lunch hour (it's more like 25 minutes), so going out to get fast food everyday is out of the question.  Sometimes I manage to run out and grab a burger.  However, I'm usually left to scrounge.  I keep some junk food in Narnia (my classroom closet).  Sometimes, I'll have enough change to get Pop Tarts from the snack machine.  Usually, though, I'll just munch on dry cereal from a box.  

Sometimes, when left to myself, I feel compelled to get all Do-It-Yourself.   This is never a good idea.  Though, that has rarely stopped me.  I'll just be sitting, thinking, "Hey, I wonder what is behind that wallpaper?" and just start going to town, ripping it off the wall.

The bathroom still doesn't have paint or new wallpaper...

I have since been banned from any more DIY home projects until I have fixed the bathroom.  This is a shame since I have discovered Disney wall paint, complete with LOTS of glitter.

An alternative to home destruction or pruning while popcorning which I like to indulge in is shopping.  This is sometimes a reasonable venture.  I try not to put myself in stores where I can cause too much damage to my bank account.  The dollar store is usually my best bet.  You'd be amazed what you can find at a dollar store!  There are some great stores near my school which sell school supplies and other things teachers may need.  I usually end up coming home with some sort of art supply or piece of junk I plan to glue shells or beads onto.  

Today, I went shoe shopping.  Therapeutic shoe shopping is/isn't a good idea for reasons I'm sure you can imagine.  That being said, I bought some great BOC cork wedges (I hate cork/wedges, but liked these...), and some Seychelles heels to match my 1920's dress for when I go see Gatsby.  

Most of the time, when I'm left alone, I end up just reading a book.  I love to read, so this works out for me quite well.  Speaking of which, I've got 7 books going right now (no lie, check my Goodreads profile) which I've got to work on.  Adios!

3 Random Prompts - Sounds, Drunken Episode, Adventures in Space

For fun, I bought a book entitled, 642 Things to Write About. I asked my Facebook friends to choose 3 numbers, promising to write about whatever prompts followed their numbers. These are the results:

 

576 - Sitting in a single location for 20 minutes, take notes focusing exclusively on the sounds you can hear.

It sounds like a rustling leaf. Ticking dryly across the tile floor, edge over edge at sporadic intervals. Every now and then, it pauses, the sound replaced by tiny padded feet tapping lightly along the tile. When the soft pattering stops, the sound kicks up once again, beginning with the sound of the dry leaf hitting the tile from a fair height.

In the background, cicadas buzz their summery, evening hymn, rising and falling with the breeze. The only breeze audible near me is that produced by the ceiling fan. The light pull-chain clinks gently against the fan motor, which hums softly, in even, drawn out intervals.

The rustling has stopped, replaced by incessant licking, a rough brushing through soft fur, hitting the sticker the cat had been knocking around like a leaf. Moira desperately licks, her tongue scraping across the edge of the paper, slowly tearing off the sticker. With a slow suction noise, the sticker peels off her fur and hits the tile once again with a thin ticking. The padding of her steps grow quieter as she walks away.

 

289 - Another drunken episode.

"What? No. We are not doing that." Wearing leggings and boots to the bar had been the first bad decision of the evening. Responding to the arse at the bar who asked if I thought I was a super hero or something was likely the second. I was on my way to my third.

Ignoring the ever wise words of my friend Cate, I continued to make my way out of the bar. "It's okay, dude, I still have Halloween stuff in my trunk. I'm pretty sure I've got a mask and a cape. Trust me."

Cate sighed loudly, obviously not as inebriated as I, and stomped after me to the car. "Why do I have to be the bad guy?" She leaned against the green Honda Civic as I dug through the trunk.

"Duh, because both of us can't be superheroes. Someone needs to kidnap the girl and tie her to the railroad tracks." I grabbed the black Zorro mask my buddy Jack had returned and tied it on quickly as Cate stood staring, her mouth slightly agape in shock.

"We are not tying anyone to the railroad tracks." She crossed her arms, not bothering to catch either the orange Ninja Turtle eye mask or the black, floor length cape I'd tossed at her.

Frowning, I turned my attention from the trunk to her. Slowly, I grinned. "What if we tied Greg to the tracks?" It would take some convincing, but I was sure I could get Greg to play along. Cate has had a thing for Greg ever since her second year of college.

Cate barely considered before grabbing the cape and mask. "Now, you're talking," she grinned as she suited up.

"Great! Now help me find the cowboy lasso so we have some rope." What could possibly go wrong?

 

5 - You are an astronaut. Describe your perfect day.

Captain's log, 7/13/2178, 20:56. Won at Risk against the Martians again. It's really not fair. They don't quite understand the concept of divide and conquering. That and they just can't keep control of Europe. I'm worried they might start to take it personally and decide to take over Earth for real. Must figure out how to read Martian emotions.

I'm not entirely sure what it was that I had for lunch while gaming with the Martians. All I know is that it moved before, during and after being cooked. I keep trying to tell myself it tasted like chicken. Went back to the space station and promptly ate all of the freeze dried strawberries to get the "chicken" taste out of my mouth.

It's video night at the space station tonight and my turn to choose what to watch. I'm thinking something archaic, like Galaxy Quest. I'm sure the Martians would get a kick out of that. Maybe follow up with some Star Trek: The Next Generation episodes for good measure. I'm curious what their take on the Borg will be. I'm more curious about whether or not they'll like popcorn.

 

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Two Things Tuesday - Midnight Edition

I'm sure it'll hardly be Tuesday by the time I finish this post.  Nevertheless, it's still going to be a Two Things Tuesday post.  I had meant to write something earlier today.  However, I spent the day trying to think of two things to post about.  TWO.   Just two.  Seriously, how hard could that be?  Anyway.


1.  Have you ever looked positively mentally crazy?  While I try not to do this too often, I find myself in these situations more than I ought to be in them.  Today's crazy is compliments of my cousins Danielle and Emily.  For my bridal shower, they bought me this fantastic smelling perfume set from Victoria's Secret.  It's from the Sexy Little Things line and called "Tease".


Being home alone, with nothing better to do with myself, I decided to play with the contents of the gift set.  I tried the body wash, followed it up with the lotion, then a spritz from the fancy-shmancy perfume bottle.

Now, when I use foo-foo juice stuff, I expect to be able to smell it for maybe an hour on myself, then have it be noticeable to everyone but me after that.  This did not happen.  Hours later, I could still smell the pear, apple, vanilla, jasmine, and gardenia (oh, my!).  

It started to get to me.  Don't get me wrong, it smells great.  However... I was intrigued I still smelled so strongly.  So... I did what any self-respecting crazy person would do.  I licked my arm.

Anything that smells that strongly, I reasoned, was probably edible.  I wanted to know if I tasted like pears.  The first lick produced a taste that I thought might be pears.  Though, I wasn't sure.  It could just be the taste of lotion with lots of chemicals.  Pears/chemicals, same thing.  So, I continued to lick my arm for a little while in order to make a decision. 

Even the cats were watching me like I was nuts.

2.  I went to the post office today to ship a book to Wichita Falls, Texas and a box to Costa Mesa, California.  The helpful man behind the counter, who likes to give me a hard time every time I come in, mentioned it must be nice to be part of the 1%.  

Quizzically, I raised an eyebrow at him.  He responded that I was shipping my items more expensively than I should have.  I shrugged.  He fixed it and laughed, saying he was just picking on me.  :(

30 Things Series - How to Fall in Love Without Losing Yourself

The first half of the 30 Things List had things one should have before turning 30. The second half has things one should know. Without further ado, I give you #1 in a post of its own.

1. How to fall in love without losing yourself.

Now, I know it is wrong to post other people's published work. However, the story from the book was spot on for me, so I decided to post it in its entirety here until I get busted. My commentary follows the story.

_____________


What you are about to read is a fable, though it's inspired by the all-too-true experiences of many women we know.  It's a cautionary tale about a girl named Jess who had a way of losing herself every time she fell in love.  Love, of course, is a wonderful thing, a grand adventure of the heart.  But while it's thrilling to get caught up in its wake, don't forget to hold on to who you are - or that incredible person might get swept away.  That's what happened to Jess.


Like many young women in their twenties, Jess wanted a lot in life: a bigger apartment, a promotion, new ankle booties, and a loving boyfriend.  She was a meticulous dresser, kept her sunny studio apartment spotlessly clean, and loved her job.  She was curious about the city she lived in and drawn to the many things it offered, like art museums; tiny, interesting restaurants; awe-inspiring concerts; and even, when she was feeling ambitious, the occasional Shakespeare production.  She had a great sense of humor and many friends.  She was always busy on weekend nights.  Jess was a go-getter.  She had a good head on her shoulders.  And she was in love with love.


When Jess fell in love, she fell in love: headfirst, eyes wide shut, throwing herself into the relationship with her entire body and soul.  So much so that every time it happened, she would become a whole new person.


She met Baseball Billy at her corner bar one evening and was immediately smitten with his crooked grin and muscular arms - even though sports bored her to tears and she would have rather spent her Friday nights listening to a violin quartet than doing the seventh-inning stretch.  She stopped eating at her favorite French-Vietnamese place because Billy ate only at "chain" restaurants (to match the one he wore around his neck, she liked to joke).


But Jess's relationship with Billy stopped being a source of amusement to her friends when she started canceling plans, ignoring her book club, and giving away theater tickets to be with him.  They began to complain: What the hell?  When would they see Jess?  But the two stopped dating a few months later, and Jess was heartbroken, especially since she'd spent her entire year's shoe budget on tickets to see the World Series, which she had no interest in seeing.  Thankfully, there was always eBay.  Problem solved, and new platforms to boot.  (Jess liked puns.)


But when she met Sci-Fi Sam, Jess decided to try even harder.  She fell in love with his quirky sense of humor and owlish glasses.  It was a relief to be with someone whose vocabulary wasn't limited to "Babe" and "Get me a beer, would ya, hon?"  She read every one of Sam's far-fetched science-fiction screenplays and learned how to say "I love you" in Klingon without giggling.  On Halloween, she dressed up as Uhura to his Captain Kirk; she fought through the crowds in her uncomfortable Amidala headdress at Comic-Con; and she watched every episode of Stargate and Torchwood on Friday nights with the same intense devotion she used to give Man Men.


More than anything, though, Jess wanted a relationship to last.  She was obsessed with finding The One, and although she was only twenty-nine, she began to have an irrational fear that her city was filling up with smarter, younger, prettier girls every day who would take her right out of the running.  She had to put a ring on it.  It was time to get serious.


The next two years were a parade of boys - and the worlds that went with them.  There was Alt-Rock Andy (suddenly her iPod was filled with bands she'd never heard of, whose song lyrics she mauled when she sang along); next, Hockey Hal (now Fridays were at Madison Square Garden, and Jess discovered there was a certain thrill to pounding the glass and yelling); then Pretentious Pete (an aspiring writer whose short stories she could not understand but pretended to love); and finally, Hipster Harry (for him, she cut her hair into choppy layers to look more like the girls at the clubs they partied in till dawn).


She'd given everything to every boy she'd ever fallen in love with, and after a dizzying and devastating run of it, Jess woke up one day in Harry's drafty loft and looked in the mirror: "Who am I?" she asked, appalled to see a girl with messy hair and tired eyes, wearing a baseball cap and a flannel button-down over a World of Warcraft T-shirt, along with skinny jeans that were so unflattering on her.  What had happened?


But instead of despairing, Jess laughed out loud.  One thing she'd never misplaced was her sense of humor.  Seeing her reflection, she remembered: "I am Jessica.  I like J.Crew cardigans and extra-large Frappuccinos and fresh flowers and clean apartments and real dates with men who care about who I am.  I'm going to call my friends and start paying attention to my work.  I will comb my hair, I will renew my theater subscription, I will go see the new Picasso exhibit.  And I will never, ever again pretend to love video games."  She breathed a deep, stress-melting sigh.  Getting to know Jess again was going to be the coolest thing she'd done in a long, long time.  And the rest, she was suddenly certain, would fall into place.


Which, of course, it did.

_____________

No, I'm not Jess.  Though, I have been.  A long time ago, I posted the quote to my favorite quotes section of my many social networking profiles, "You could be anyone."  No one really noticed, which was fine.  It was more of the first time I awoke to the fact that I had become Jess from the story.  I could be anyone I needed to be for whomever I was with.

Unlike Jess, I never changed myself as a mad-dash attempt to "put a ring on it".  Instead, I'd change myself to be the person I thought the person I was with needed.  Someone very dear to me referred to people like us as "Fixers".  The term fits.  We're drawn to a person for whatever reason - we stay because we believe we can fix whatever is broken about them.

Yeah, I know it sounds very martyr, holier-than-thou, but that's the way it is.  Usually the fixing works out, then the relationship ends - unless the Fixer is caught in a Catch-22 situation where the issue he/she is trying to fix would be perpetuated by him/her leaving.

It took me a long time to learn this one, and even now I'm still working on it (I can tell you all about beer, though it isn't even remotely on my radar of interests).

All I know about this is that it is important to discover you, the real you, figure out what it is you really want out of life, and then be true to what you want.  It's okay to be selfish in this.  After all, you only get 100 years to live.  ;)

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30 Things Series - In Flight Edition (11-15)

All boarded, iPad in airplane mode, playlist loaded. Let's knock out another chunk of these.




11. A set of screwdrivers, a cordless drill, and a black lace bra.

While I agree that all three can be fun, I'm unsure of the necessity of a cordless drill or a black lace bra. I feel like the last two on that list only lead to trouble.

12. Something ridiculously expensive that you bought for yourself, just because you deserve it.

I've got a shopping habit. Anyone who knows me already knows that. However, I rarely spend a fortune on anything. Every designer piece of anything I own was on sale well below half of retail. I've gotten much better at curbing my retail therapy this past year as well.

There are a few things that I'd like that I know are ridiculously (and therefore unjustifiably) expensive. Even the excuse that I deserve them hasn't been enough to push me to purchase any of them. I'd love a pair of Christian Louboutin red-soled shoes. I'd be tickled over even an empty Tiffany's box. Though, like I said, can't justify them.

I try to save my splurges for travel. I guess you could say that I've bought myself lavish trips. I spent a week in Paris and a week at Disney World - because I deserved to go.

Try as I might to save money in the future, I'm very rarely going to turn down a chance to travel. I want to see more of the US, tour Europe, even check out places where I can't google what the signs say because my keyboard doesn't do those characters.

13. The belief you deserve it.

It's not hard for me to believe I deserve to spend money on travel. I've done everything the "right" way in life. I behaved as well as any teenager could, never got knocked up, got good grades, a scholarship, went to college, graduated cum laude, and found myself a great career (not just a job). All of this equals to me that I deserve to spend money on ridiculously expensive travel. Hell, even a short "staycation" at a hotel in town for no other reason than I want to escape the rest of the world is justified in my mind.

While this may sound somewhat like entitlement, I feel the need to say that I worked to get where I am. I've done what I'm supposed to do and what I've had to do to make my world happen. That's different from saying I deserve it because I am awesome.




14. A skin-care regimen, an exercise routine, and a plan for dealing with those few other facets of life that don't get better after 30.

The first two were on my to-do list for a long time. I finally broke down and went to some experts for my skin. So far, I haven't collected many more wrinkles than those I picked up around 22. I'm hoping to keep my skin that way in as much of a healthy way as possible.

Starting earlier this year, I picked up running. I actually really enjoy going out for a run, even if I don't get to go for very long. It makes me happy to be able to go clear my head and people watch while running. I haven't been able to go for a month, but I intend to pick it up again soon.

As far as the rest of the things which don't get better after 30, I'll just lump everything under Health.

I know I need to start keeping out of things I'm allergic to - just because I can tolerate it with a Benedryl does not make it a good idea.

I know I ought to start watching my diet. I can count calories all day, but in the end, weight loss does not equal a healthy diet. I've cut a lot of the garbage out of my diet. I suppose I should look into cutting more of the crap and adding some more good things instead.

I know I could use more sleep on a regular basis. As much fun as I have on the Internet, I seriously need to hit the hay before midnight every night. This will likely be the hardest for me, considering the people I talk to online tend to keep later hours due to time zone differences.




15. A solid start on a satisfying career, a satisfying relationship, and all of those other facets of life that do get better.

I love being a teacher. While I get paid well, the satisfaction is definitely the kids. I miss them all summer, even though I get new kids in the fall. I look forward to going to class to teach and interact with them. It drives me. I love them so very much - even the challenging ones!

Someday I might like to try my hand at something else. I haven't given up completely on writing. Law school interests me. Perhaps I'll stick around the schools and become a principal. I don't know. For now, I plan to keep doing what I love until it has lost its luster. The kids deserve that.

I'm pretty sure I'm working towards the most satisfying relationship of my life. :)

 

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30 Things Series - Sitting at the Airport Edition (5-10)

While I'm stuck at the airport for the next hour and a half, then on a plane for 2 more, I figured I'd catch up on my posts based on 30 Things. Let's see how far I can get.



5. A youth you're content to move beyond.

Well, that would imply I will be beyond my youth when I turn 30. I'll be the first to admit, I've got a bad case of Peter Pan syndrome. It's all about the next great adventure. Granted, as I've gotten older, the adventures have changed from following the dog through the neighbor's yard to see what she sees to more grown up things.

I suppose a better way to approach #5 would be to assume it means accepting of one's past, good or bad, and moving forward contentedly. I'm there now, though acceptance and moving forward haven't always been my forte.

My younger years were fantastic. My family has always done what they could to give me everything I needed or wanted. I can't complain too much about my younger years. However, I was also deeply hurt by those I loved the most. For years I dwelled on every little bit of the hurt. What the catalyst was to my change, I'll never know. One day, I just decided that I was missing out on so much more life by focusing on the bad things they'd done. It just made sense to accept them as who they were, regardless of what they had done in the past, and to move on. It truly did make me more content. I carried less anger, regret and other harsh feelings.




6. A past juicy enough that you're looking forward to retelling it in your old age.

Everything is an adventure. Some are short and exciting, others run the full spectrum of emotions. I'm collecting adventures. I'm working on my favorite love story. Someday, I'll be a great writer.




7. The realization that you are actually going to have an old age - and some money set aside to help fund it.

If I am being honest, I have to admit I've never given much thought to having an old age. It simply does not compute that me, Miss Lindsey, would ever get old.

I'm not amazing at saving money. This is probably because I've never tried. A friend once told me that his grandfather used to say of money that "there is never enough, but there will always be more." I've found this to be true so far, but I can't count on that.

I've got a lot of expenses to sort through right now, but within the next 30 days, I fully intend on figuring out a solution to smartly save for (::shudders::) old age.



8. An email address, a voice mailbox, and a bank account - all of which nobody has access to but you.

I honestly believe this one has less to do with hiding things than it does preserving an ounce of privacy in a very public world. Many people hang their heart out to dry on the Internet, will share their hopes and dreams with people they'll likely never see again, and then wonder why they feel so raw when the world takes notice.

While I pride myself in being a very straightforward person, there are some things which are just best left unshared. Call it self preservation, call it being a better friend. In the book which accompanies the 30 Things List, there is a short story in which a successful writer, Jacquelyn Mitchard, writes about establishing a 1 to 5 ratio for listening and speaking. I'd use the excuse that I'm a story teller and like to talk, but so is Mitchard. It doesn't sound like a bad idea to adopt the same ratio. I'll be giving it a shot.




9. A resume that is not even the slightest bit padded.

This may be great advice for many people. However, I've done so much, padding the dang thing would knock it up past 3 pages. For being as young as I am, my resume is pretty long as is.

I've done a great many things through the years. While in high school, I had my own web design company. Later, in college, I racked up service and social organizations. I even ran a couple of them. For a while, I designed the artwork for the ads on the city buses in El Paso. I spent a chunk of time as a bookkeeper for a party supply store and later a finance representative for Cingular Wireless. After college I worked as an admin for a large medical company. Now, I'm a teacher who can't seem to say no when it comes to taking on new responsibilities, organizations and challenges.

By far the least believable thing on my resume is my time at Walt Disney World, in which I worked in entertainment, as "friends" of characters. But every bit of my resume is true.




10. One friend who always makes you laugh and one who lets you cry.

We collect "friends" by the dozen on social networking sites. It's when you need one for something, you find out just how many you truly have.

I'm blessed with a bunch of friends who make me laugh. They're just awesome, hilarious people. You, my readers, are the people I intentionally choose to surround myself with - good people who love life and like to laugh.

As far as a friend who lets me cry, I don't intentionally collect those. While I'm sure many of my friends would gladly be there for me and let me cry, I try not to cry.

I've leaned on a friend heavily lately. For that, I am eternally grateful.



 

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The Sword of Awesomeness

While the best word to describe my teaching methods may be "episodic", sometimes I still don't understand some of the things I do in the classroom.  I'm nothing if not visually interesting for one reason or another.  Sometimes, it involves wearing a chipmunk costume.

Others, it involves flailing my arms for no apparent reason.  Which brings me to the story of the Sword of Awesomeness.

As I was creating a spur of the moment, full-blown story for my students, one of the important items in the story became the Sword of Awesomeness.

Each time the item came up in the story, I would raise my arms in a rounded victory V sort of way.  I didn't even realize I was doing it until the students started doing the same each time I mentioned the Sword of Awesomeness.

As entertaining as it was, I didn't think much about the whole thing again until today, weeks later, when one of my students was sharing his 11 page (yes, he's a 6th grader!) imaginative story with the class.  At one point, he describes his characters battling through a hoard of zombies in order to retrieve the Sword of Awesomeness.

As he said it, he turned his attention from his paper, set it in his lap, grinned and raised his arms in the special salute.  I couldn't have been more proud.  Not only had he remembered the random thing I did and included it in his story, he also remembered the lesson and applied everything when he wrote his amazing story.  I was truly impressed.

30 Things Series - Number 1

One of the newest books which I have started reading has inspired me to start a blog series in response. The book, Thirty Things a Woman Should Have and Should Know by the Time She is 30, is based on a list by the same name.

Pamela Satran originally wrote the list for Glamour magazine. You can read more about that, as well as the list in its entirety here.

This blog series will be in response to each of the items on the list. I can't say for sure how often I'll post one of these responses, but I can promise to be very honest with what I write. Some responses will be harder to write than others.

Now, without further ado, I give you 30 Things - Number 1:

By 30, you should have ...


1. One old boyfriend you can imagine going back to and one who reminds you of how far you've come.

Before I just dive in and answer this one, I feel like it is important to figure out why it might be good for a woman to have one of each of these. It wouldn't be very telling for me to just list two names and move on to the next post.

It's harder to explain why it might be important to have an old boyfriend I could imagine going back to. I mean, really, if I could imagine going back to them, it ought to follow that I might as well just do that. However, my mom told me once that people break up for a reason and it is important to keep that reason in mind when thinking about the person with whom you broke up with. I suppose having someone you could imagine going back to should tell you that not all your decisions were bad. You should see that you had progressed from the one you dated who you can look back upon and see how far you've come. Perhaps it is meant to show you that you started dating people for the good person they are as opposed to any other reason.

With that being said, here goes. For anonymity's sake, I'm using initials. Those know me well shouldn't have much of an issue figuring out to whom I am referring.

I'd have to name DH as the man I could imagine going back to. He was truly a great guy. He respected me, treated me well, and supported my dreams. We were content. However, content is not enough. He lacked ambition and drive. He was also very negative about himself and the world around him. I cannot live with these things. Additionally, of marriage, he said he preferred a "Goldie Hawn-Kurt Russell" type of relationship. Not my thing. I have no ill feelings towards him and wish him nothing but the best. We simply weren't meant to be.

On the other hand, the boyfriend who reminds me of just how far I've come is obviously MK. Though a good laugh is important in life, it isn't the only thing in life. He had a fantastic sense of humor, was the epitome of romantic (in the mind of a teenager), and had ADHD in every aspect of his life. He had little attention span for school, work, or relationships. He still has yet to get that under control, based on what I can tell and have been told. People in my life tell me, "You're lucky it isn't you in that situation," when referring to him and his life. I have always responded that it never could have been me. I'm smarter than to allow myself to be put into the situations he has put himself and his family into. Though, when I was a teenager, and in what I thought was love, I might not have been smart enough. He definitely reminds me of just how far I've come in relationships.

I can't say it was easy to travel down memory lane to put this post into words and explain my thoughts behind my answers. However, after working on this post for about 3 days, I'm glad I did it. I expect the next few 30 Things posts to be much easier and fun. If you've made it to the end of this, thanks for reading. :)

Have a Magical Day!

First, a little good news: the 3 legged cat finally reappeared today.  I had been worried since I hadn't seen it in nearly a month and it has been so insanely hot outside.  I threw an ice cube in the water I set out for it.

Second, the fish I bought for my classroom has been acting strange.  It buries itself head first into the rocks.  I'm guessing it's because he hates the lights?  I'm going to work on finding some sort of hiding space for the fish for inside the tank.  His new name is Jack.  Funny, since last year's fiction assignment was "Where's Jack?".  Little did anyone know, Jack was really a fish.  

My school is still under construction.  That's been an adventure.  Here's to learning how to be more patient when things are miscommunicated.  I cannot change others or their actions, but I can change myself and my circumstances.

I've inadvertently taught how to imply things.  Everything is "magical".  Disney folk, you'll understand.  

Wrapped Up (Part 3)

My original intention was to go old style pilot - which translates in my head to black leggings, knee high boots (I have some amazing boots), some kind of shirt I didn't give any thought to, and a white scarf tied around my neck.  I was most excited about the boots and leggings.  Pairing the two make me want to climb things  and crouch around like Catwoman.

Alas, I was too tired this morning to figure out a solution to the problem of not knowing what shirt to wear, so the whole idea was scrapped in favor of tennies, jeans, a navy shirt and a white scarf.  The V neck of my shirt went well with the style of the scarf.  I don't know what the actual name of the style is, so I'm going to call it the lazy ascot.  I'm not sure I'd wear this style again, though I think it looked good.

I'm getting bored with these bathroom pictures, so expect more odd poses.  I have no idea why I am contemplating the ceiling.

 

Wrapped Up (Part 2)

My good friend, Arianne, sent me a whole slew of ways to wear a scarf.  I liked the way this one was tied.  You pretty much fold it in half, put it around your neck, thread one end of the scarf through the end loop, twist the loop once and thread the other end of the scarf through.  Viola.  

I was concerned the scarf would be too heavy - it's a silk scarf by Anne Klein.  However, it was the only thing keeping me mildly warm today.  I forgot how thin the leggings and shirts from Victoria's Secret are and how cold the trainings for school are typically.  

Since the whole outfit looked nicely put together, I'll probably wear the whole ensemble again.  

Yes, that was taken in the bathroom.  Enjoy the peek at my shower curtain and rug.

In other news, my Sebring was posted for sale at a dealership in El Paso, TX.  It was pretty much my first car.  I exclude my Porsche 944, though it truly was my first car, because I never really learned how to drive it.  I'm really going to miss the Sebring.  Here's hoping somebody buys the car and loves it as much as I did.

Sebring LXi Listing

Wrapped Up (Part 1)

Last summer I bought a bunch of summery (read: not heavy) scarves with the intention of wearing them and looking absolutely fabulous and chic (not like a hobo, like one suggested).  I got them home and realized, after a little bit of trial and almost all error, that I had no idea how to wear a scarf.  So into a box they went.

I recently re-discovered this magical box of scarves and instantly became re-frustrated with the concept of summer scarves.  In my frustration, I turned to Facebook and asked my friends how in the heck to wear a scarf in the summer.  I got varied responses.

I've decided to try them all and document them for you here.  I'm unsure how "wear it like a pirate" day will go, but I'm game.

Today's adventure in scarf land was the "square scarf around the neck and tied to the side".  Half the battle was finding a shirt to pair with this style.

I got a few remarks about the scarf - mostly positive, some entertaining.  All in all, I'd say I would wear this style again.

I know the coloring of the picture sucks.  My apologies.  Maybe I'll take the next one outside.  Maybe.

Diet Trial #1

While shopping at Big Lots, I noticed they had Special K Red Berries on sale for $2 a box.  I love the freeze dried strawberries in the cereal.  That was reason enough for me to buy 2 boxes.

On the box it says that it is possible to lose 6 lbs in 2 weeks on the "Special K" diet.  I've nothing better to do with myself than to try it this summer.  Hell, it'll save me money to eat Special K for lunch and breakfast (it's been an extremely expensive month at my house).

So, today is day 1 on the Special K diet.  Instead of putting milk in the 1 cup of cereal I'm allotted, I opted for a half cup of French Vanilla Greek yogurt, instead - it was actually less calories than the 2% milk would have been.

Let me just say - this may be my new favorite way to eat cereal.  I don't miss the milk.  The yogurt was already a treat for me.

I'll keep you all updated on how fast I get sick of eating Special K and whether or not I lose 6 lbs in two weeks.