Monday, September 15, 2008
Laundry services
One of the things I did for myself, back in the day when I had money, was to buy an apartment size washer and dryer. My apartment building actually has two on-site laundry rooms, that are kept clean and the machines usually work. But I got tired of carrying laundry up and down from the 4th floor. Invariably the elevator was on the 4th floor when I was on the ground floor and vice versa. Not to mention the ever increasing cost of doing laundry every week. So I spent some time googling "portable" machines and found some options. Finally, I went to Sears and found two small, wheeled machines. The washer hose hooks up to the kitchen sink and the dryer has a portable system that vents into a container of water. Instant humidifier. And when I'm done, I unplug everything and wheeled them right into my hall closet. Very convenient. Now if I could only get myself to do laundry every week instead of waiting until everything needs to be washed. This is a long way of saying I spent yesterday doing my laundry. I need to get out more.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
September 11
I didn't watch anything on TV today that had to do with September 11. I chose to remember what happened without reliving it. Living in California as I do, it was very early in the morning when a friend called and woke me to tell me what had happened. I immediately went to the living room and sat on the floor and turn on the TV. Whatever channel I had it on was broadcasting the people jumping from the buildings. I was so stunned, I just sat there in horror. I think whoever was monitoring the broadcast realize what they were showing because it switched to something else after about 10 seconds and I didn't see those images again for the rest of the day.
Today, I did what I do every September 11. I go to tomatonation.com and read Sars essay. Sars was at the World Trade Center that day and every year she writes about it. It always makes me cry. Happy Birthday, Don.
Today, I did what I do every September 11. I go to tomatonation.com and read Sars essay. Sars was at the World Trade Center that day and every year she writes about it. It always makes me cry. Happy Birthday, Don.
Friday, September 05, 2008
What I did on my summer vacation
I keep forgetting about this blog, I think mostly because I can't post from home right now. My laptop (never buy a Compaq, they're crap) is rapidly dying and I only use it when I absolutely need to. The problem is the video card is failing and I have all these vertical lines obscuring the screen. I checked into getting it (the video card) replaced and it would have cost $400.00. I only paid $750.00 for the laptop to begin with. So I'm saving up for a new computer to be bought as soon as I get back from Montreal in early November.
So, what did I do this summer? Well, I went to Santa Barbara for the weekend twice, once in early June and once again in early August for my birthday. I took the train and if ever you wanted to know the effect of rising gas prices, just get on a train. The trains were never full, sometimes very close to empty, but now? On both trips, both going north and heading south, almost every seat was taken. And when I talked to people about it, they all said the same thing, that it was cheaper to take the train than to drive.
I love Santa Barbara, it's such a pretty town. I couldn't live there because it's a little too sedate for me, I prefer living in the city. But one of my oldest friends lives there and we always have a great time together. Her home was built in the early 1900s and sits up on a hill overlooking Santa Barbara bay. It's a very peaceful and serene setting and I feel wonderfully refreshed after spending the weekend there.
In mid-August, I flew to Sonoma County to attend my brother's wedding in Cloverdale. My mother, brother and his kids and grandkids all live there or close by. We had a great time, mom and I went out to lunch every day and then in the evenings, there were parties. Friday evening was the dress rehearsal dinner in the backyard of this really great pink Victorian house; on Saturday, we had a pizza and beer blast for the out-of-town guests at the local pizzeria and Sunday was the wedding and reception. The wedding reception was everything a party should be, no-one got falling down, sloppy drunk, there were no arguments or fights, no drama, everybody was just happy and relaxed. They had a great dj and everybody was dancing, including the Electric Slide. Hilarious!
There's not much going on in my daily life, I really gotta change that. After several years of turmoil, I decided that I'd had it with drama. You know, "drama". The sturm and drang where everything is stressful to the nth degree, life is just difficult. Once I finally got through the crap, I decided there would be no more drama. But I forgot to replace with something else. Like passion. So day to day has been pretty boring. I'm working on that. One of the things I'm doing is going through all my paperwork and either recycling or shredding and then recycling anything I don't need to keep. Some things I gotta have for tax purpose for another couple of years, some of it is geneological research my dad did, plus some other stuff, but if I can toss it, it's gone. I'm a firm believer in clearing out old energy to make way for new. After that project is done, then I'll clear some clothes from my closet and donate what is still fit to be worn, you know, no stains, rips, broken zippers, missing buttons, moth holes, etc. And then there are those clothes that really just need to be tossed. You know what I mean. Once I have room to store things properly, then I'll start on painting my apartment. I get very little light in my place after the early morning and the dark walls in the dining room and hall are just not cutting it anymore. Time to lighten things up a bit.
The other thing I started was working out. I started using the 10 Minute Trainer back in late June. I bought it because I had been so sedentary and I figured I could do 10 minutes to start with. I was very pleased with the results. I've lost 10 pounds and kept it off, even though I had to take a break to let an injury heal. In early June, just before my trip to Santa Barbara, I fell down some steps and landed ON MY KNEE. I thought I had broken something and I sat there for quite a while before I attempted to move. Imagine my surprise when I found that it didn't hurt to walk. It was very bruised, very swollen and painful, particularly going up and down steps. Ice, ibuprofen, elevating and knee brace all helped but it just took time. Through it all, I kept trying to work out. I would do the trainer for 2 or 3 days and then have to stop for 2 or 3 days. Finally, I just had to give it a rest. And that was the best thing I could have done. My knee is almost completely healed (about 97%, I'd say) and I'm ready to start moving again.
All this may not sound exciting from the outside, but it all makes me feel lighter, like more things are possible. Life is not just about sitting on the couch watching TV.
So, what did I do this summer? Well, I went to Santa Barbara for the weekend twice, once in early June and once again in early August for my birthday. I took the train and if ever you wanted to know the effect of rising gas prices, just get on a train. The trains were never full, sometimes very close to empty, but now? On both trips, both going north and heading south, almost every seat was taken. And when I talked to people about it, they all said the same thing, that it was cheaper to take the train than to drive.
I love Santa Barbara, it's such a pretty town. I couldn't live there because it's a little too sedate for me, I prefer living in the city. But one of my oldest friends lives there and we always have a great time together. Her home was built in the early 1900s and sits up on a hill overlooking Santa Barbara bay. It's a very peaceful and serene setting and I feel wonderfully refreshed after spending the weekend there.
In mid-August, I flew to Sonoma County to attend my brother's wedding in Cloverdale. My mother, brother and his kids and grandkids all live there or close by. We had a great time, mom and I went out to lunch every day and then in the evenings, there were parties. Friday evening was the dress rehearsal dinner in the backyard of this really great pink Victorian house; on Saturday, we had a pizza and beer blast for the out-of-town guests at the local pizzeria and Sunday was the wedding and reception. The wedding reception was everything a party should be, no-one got falling down, sloppy drunk, there were no arguments or fights, no drama, everybody was just happy and relaxed. They had a great dj and everybody was dancing, including the Electric Slide. Hilarious!
There's not much going on in my daily life, I really gotta change that. After several years of turmoil, I decided that I'd had it with drama. You know, "drama". The sturm and drang where everything is stressful to the nth degree, life is just difficult. Once I finally got through the crap, I decided there would be no more drama. But I forgot to replace with something else. Like passion. So day to day has been pretty boring. I'm working on that. One of the things I'm doing is going through all my paperwork and either recycling or shredding and then recycling anything I don't need to keep. Some things I gotta have for tax purpose for another couple of years, some of it is geneological research my dad did, plus some other stuff, but if I can toss it, it's gone. I'm a firm believer in clearing out old energy to make way for new. After that project is done, then I'll clear some clothes from my closet and donate what is still fit to be worn, you know, no stains, rips, broken zippers, missing buttons, moth holes, etc. And then there are those clothes that really just need to be tossed. You know what I mean. Once I have room to store things properly, then I'll start on painting my apartment. I get very little light in my place after the early morning and the dark walls in the dining room and hall are just not cutting it anymore. Time to lighten things up a bit.
The other thing I started was working out. I started using the 10 Minute Trainer back in late June. I bought it because I had been so sedentary and I figured I could do 10 minutes to start with. I was very pleased with the results. I've lost 10 pounds and kept it off, even though I had to take a break to let an injury heal. In early June, just before my trip to Santa Barbara, I fell down some steps and landed ON MY KNEE. I thought I had broken something and I sat there for quite a while before I attempted to move. Imagine my surprise when I found that it didn't hurt to walk. It was very bruised, very swollen and painful, particularly going up and down steps. Ice, ibuprofen, elevating and knee brace all helped but it just took time. Through it all, I kept trying to work out. I would do the trainer for 2 or 3 days and then have to stop for 2 or 3 days. Finally, I just had to give it a rest. And that was the best thing I could have done. My knee is almost completely healed (about 97%, I'd say) and I'm ready to start moving again.
All this may not sound exciting from the outside, but it all makes me feel lighter, like more things are possible. Life is not just about sitting on the couch watching TV.
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