why have i been too busy to write? we've been spending money! we've become shopaholics! throwing caution to the wind, we've been nesting and making purchases to enjoy.
in the past month, i've gotten some new shelves for the house, a fluffy skirt or two, a fabulous stacking fridge and freezer that fit way better in my kitchen, and even a bicycle! the bike is a really big deal for me. i'm finally overcoming my fear of being on two wheels again by riding around town on a vintage sears "free spirit" model with a lovely devil bike horn. i still need to go pick up a groovy wicker basket to complete the look. then i can whoosh about with my new ipod touch. derek was so jealous i got home one as well.
we also got a new scooter for derek! it's a beautiful silver 150, and if you ask him nicely, we might get him to post some photos of his new ride. his scooty scoot (and new helmet) even matches my car - tee hee. like matching phone numbers wasn't enough, right? i might even make him take some shots of our new dining table and chairs. they are tres chic and teeny tiny. wow, we're almost like real adults, not even eating on the coffee table all the time. now i can bake in my new silicone bakeware (without even being sad) and serve it up all proper-like.
oh, and of course i've been indulging my need for new art. my collection has developed quite nicely. we've gotten some great original pieces by local artists for a steal. not only that, but we've been creating art with some metal grating pieces on the wall, invisible cords, and some of our favorite postcards.
how on earth can we afford all this terrific stuff? one word: USED. thanks to the power of strategic trading, thrift stores, refurb items, garage sales, and the ever-holy craigslist, it really is still possible to get out there and shop. in fact, it's our responsibility as cogs in the economic system. i like getting little doodads for the house, so i see what i need and what's out there. craigslist has blissfully made it possible for me to scavenge-shop without having to drive around in the summer heat, but i've also been keeping my eyes peeled when i'm out there.
the even better part? we've sold a ton of items, too. holly and jenny and me have been doing the garage sale thing when we have time. derek and i have been selling stuff online - so more buig ups to craigslist and other places. we've been embracing the cycle of life; that is, in terms of stuff. trash and treasure, eh? yessirree! i never knew i could really have this much space in my closet!
the thing about culling your stuff is that you realize what you need. you think about what you use on a regular basis. you see what you're holding on to out of guilt or obligation. you forget why you loved that thing all over the country. there are moments when you cling to your possessions screaming " but i might NEED it again!" when the terror subsides, you have the clarity to invite someone else over to look over it all with you and make decisions about what truly belongs in your life.
one friend is honest enough to say "your snappy shirts are dead and you need to let them go." another person remarks on how open your house is now. someone remarks that they're reorganizing and need a way to get all those cords under control, so you gift them your bag of flex-tubing (which you got for free anyway) so they can wrap them all up in a neat row.
sure sure sure - some things are going to stay in your house anyway. do you need all that stationery? hell no, but you at least promise to stop buying any more until you make a dent in what you have. should anyone own that many **insert your silly penchant here** in their lives? probably not, but you just donated recycled or donated every old magazine in your living room, so it's okay to indulge a bit.
a funny thing happens after all this: getting rid of what you don't need or want becomes easier. you think about how happy it would make someone ELSE. you can give it away. you can trade with your peeps. you can sell it. no matter what you do, it's moved on in the circle and been recycled to better place. it's both economical and green, so you feel good about taking a bite outta your hoarding habits. then you can go out and get a few used items and supplies for creating in your daily treasure hunt for fun, too!
believe me, i would much rather have a new/used (nuwsed?) silicone cupcake pan than an old pile of dusty action figures. and i think there are people out there who are happy to make the trade with me.
what else is of interest this month:
a new gig - i finally quit my old job! eee!
01 May 2009
what day is it again?
go to bed at 7 am, go to work at 7 am the next day. go to bed at 7 am, go to work at 7 am the next day. am i a fool for keeping such a bizarre schedule this week? you bet i am! when i say words like "yesterday" or "last night", even i have no idea what i'm talking about anymore. my work times should return to relative normalcy this coming week, whatever that means. our hours continue to be a subject of speculation. maybe the magic 8 ball of labor cost-cutting will smile upon me.
if it seems that nothing major has happened lately, that would be true. most of my free time has been spent going through closets and getting rid of things. having become addicted to home shows, i'm inspired to shave off some clutter from my life. so is holly. with the possible (and hopefully soon!) impending deportation of the wicked ex, she's decided to finally shed some stuff of her own. we've spent several days in the past month picking through her house in some awful "do you need this?" moments of truth.
the good news is that she's selling off all the leather furniture the wicked ex bought for the living room. yes, the andrey crap is finally moving out! once the stork brings her new sofa over it'll be a holly house once and for all! oh, and the luck of this girl, i tell you. i shopped for an eternity in search of what i wanted. we shopped for exactly FIVE minutes before finding her a slammin' piece of wonderfulness. it's a three-piece vintage turquoise and silver sectional. very ultra lounge shaping, very hip and very holly. can you believe it? she's reclaiming her living room in superb style. oh, and i got a new hat and some pillows.
the storms promise to put off our mondo sale for at least another day... or week. her garage is really filling up (why did her family give her three xmas trees?!?) and we're both excited to sell off our crap. i even opened the closet of doom. it was filled with boxes up to the ceiling; some of which haven't been opened since before the move to suckifornia. eep! next time i wonder to myself where all my stuff came from, i'll just assume it was the front closet.
in another effort to make derek put on pants, we went to see "a picasso" last night. craig and susan totally rock and i would recommend it to anyone looking for a fun night of theatre. seriously, these are two of the best actors i know and they worked really well together. tonight we're off to the german festival with linsey and cameron. woo hoo, schnitzel!!!
random side note:
i make lists of words that i like
if it seems that nothing major has happened lately, that would be true. most of my free time has been spent going through closets and getting rid of things. having become addicted to home shows, i'm inspired to shave off some clutter from my life. so is holly. with the possible (and hopefully soon!) impending deportation of the wicked ex, she's decided to finally shed some stuff of her own. we've spent several days in the past month picking through her house in some awful "do you need this?" moments of truth.
the good news is that she's selling off all the leather furniture the wicked ex bought for the living room. yes, the andrey crap is finally moving out! once the stork brings her new sofa over it'll be a holly house once and for all! oh, and the luck of this girl, i tell you. i shopped for an eternity in search of what i wanted. we shopped for exactly FIVE minutes before finding her a slammin' piece of wonderfulness. it's a three-piece vintage turquoise and silver sectional. very ultra lounge shaping, very hip and very holly. can you believe it? she's reclaiming her living room in superb style. oh, and i got a new hat and some pillows.
the storms promise to put off our mondo sale for at least another day... or week. her garage is really filling up (why did her family give her three xmas trees?!?) and we're both excited to sell off our crap. i even opened the closet of doom. it was filled with boxes up to the ceiling; some of which haven't been opened since before the move to suckifornia. eep! next time i wonder to myself where all my stuff came from, i'll just assume it was the front closet.
in another effort to make derek put on pants, we went to see "a picasso" last night. craig and susan totally rock and i would recommend it to anyone looking for a fun night of theatre. seriously, these are two of the best actors i know and they worked really well together. tonight we're off to the german festival with linsey and cameron. woo hoo, schnitzel!!!
random side note:
i make lists of words that i like
10 April 2009
random side notes - chapter twenty
welcome to my hiatus! errr, i mean, back from another hiatus. i don't even remember where i was last month. there was cleaning, and a show, and some random thrift store shopping. other than that, i've managed to remain quite boring. in a good way.
drama at work! we are now operating with as little labor cost as possible. sure, sometimes we get lucky and actually have five or six people there at once! mostly it's down to just a few of us at a time. angry customers out front and threats from higher up make it a ridiculous place to be, but i do like the people i work with there. the job itself is okay. i'm learning to just make a face of "quoi?" at the absurd demands and laugh when someone starts yelling at me for no real reason. while i may sometimes have the tendency to blow things up, i'm not actually kidding this time. real yelling - one customer even threw things with an overhanded flourish. my hours are up and down, but i remain calm. an exit plan is ultimately in place for the future.
the show went pretty well, with the exception of having to cancel on night during the snow... which was all gone from the streets by call time anyway. grrrr. oh well, whaddaya gonna do, right? i received much adulation (mostly for being able to memorize quickly and think on my feet) and even a few gifts of adoration. overall i was pleased with how things turned out, though it's always easier to nitpick myself for the things i could've done better. at least i got many compliments on my makeup skills!
here comes a moment of shame: i'm enthralled with a show on the style channel. ever seen "clean house" and wonder what kind of crap you need to get out of your home? i have. many times lately. believe me, liz, there's more stuff where the chicken plates came from! anyone need an oversized white board? tivo got so confused about my compulsive need to see how messy other people are that he's started picking out more bizarre things for me on the same channel. perhaps i should keep my bad taste in television shows down to a lower roar.
"local only lent" has some unexpected side effects.
1. linsey is about to beat me to a pulp to induce me into a target shopping trip. she's laid down a mandate that WE ARE GOING there on sunday for a binge.
2. shopping has become a more thoughtful act for me. see, when you have to consider every place where you shop or eat over the course of several weeks, you start to consider how much shopping you should really be doing.
3. derek has expressed an absolute hatred of thrifting, garage sales, and all secondhand shopping. he likes secondhand goods, but can't stand the digging.
4. every (larger) place i used to shop seems to be having really terrific clearance sales that all end before easter. oh well. guess i didn't need another pair of socks. bonnie seems to be my new sock dealer anyway. AND she's buying local from her area!
5. i'm more likely to look for different/cheaper/free things for entertainment. this seems to be like some crazy change taking over my whole lifestyle. by making my consumer world smaller, the rest of my world has gotten bigger. let's see if i can still hack it without having to be at rehearsal every night.
6. i'm addicted to braum's.
my reward after lent was supposed to be a new pogo camera. unfortunately, the release of them has been put off until june. sigh... should i celebrate with some shoes instead? promise i'll only buy them on sale, truly! i gave my theatre donations before derek lost his job, but i could stand a little more do-gooding. maybe i'll make donations for all those birthdays coming up in the next few weeks. that is, after i've done some major shopping to see if there's anything else out there to get for them.
dizzy is doing quite well. she runs to the kitchen each night and happily swallows the heart pills derek gives her in exchange for a follow-up of treats and overindulgent praise. if only she'd been so gracious with me, i wouldn't have had to wear multiple band aids on my hands that first day. (and i can give anything a pill, or so i thought) she is so totally derek's little princess. some evenings she just sits on his lap and gazes at him with utter cute-face. "i love you, derek. to all the rest of you - he's mine!" great. now will you listen to him and stop pooping on the bathroom floor right next to the box?!?
polenta lasagna rocks! it's way squishier than pasta lasagna.
i'm so proud of mary for saying no to me. that's not an easy task, especially when i really know how to sweeten the pot. maybe i should send her parents a thank you card for going on vacation at such a perfect time. it may have been the final straw that made her decision, and it's been paying off for her ever since. jenny was awesome in the part, you know, so i got like a twofer bonus out of the deal. now i'm just jealous about some of mary's recent excursions, as i've never been on any kind of skates that didn't involve my head hitting a very hard surface with a resounding crack.
speaking of my head, i've now been on the meds since last fall. it would be safe to say that the results are shockingly good. shocking, as in i can't believe i'm still on them. good, as in the shame of it has worn off and been replaced by relief. if you tell people you're on medication, they're never really sure whether or not to think you're just kidding. once they realize you're serious AND you think it's hilarious? they tell you what they've taken before! it's like a preemptive strike on making yourself feel like a fucking freak. in honor of the waning lent it should be called de-stigmata. look, jesus - no holes!
odd things i've done this month:
lost ten pounds while eating absolutely everything
been on television and not sounded like a dufus, i think
received a portrait of me as a superhero
more sidney poitier impressions
rode in a cool girl-powered rickshaw in exchange for a two dollar bill, a bag of popcorn, and a raspberry fruit rollup
drama at work! we are now operating with as little labor cost as possible. sure, sometimes we get lucky and actually have five or six people there at once! mostly it's down to just a few of us at a time. angry customers out front and threats from higher up make it a ridiculous place to be, but i do like the people i work with there. the job itself is okay. i'm learning to just make a face of "quoi?" at the absurd demands and laugh when someone starts yelling at me for no real reason. while i may sometimes have the tendency to blow things up, i'm not actually kidding this time. real yelling - one customer even threw things with an overhanded flourish. my hours are up and down, but i remain calm. an exit plan is ultimately in place for the future.
the show went pretty well, with the exception of having to cancel on night during the snow... which was all gone from the streets by call time anyway. grrrr. oh well, whaddaya gonna do, right? i received much adulation (mostly for being able to memorize quickly and think on my feet) and even a few gifts of adoration. overall i was pleased with how things turned out, though it's always easier to nitpick myself for the things i could've done better. at least i got many compliments on my makeup skills!
here comes a moment of shame: i'm enthralled with a show on the style channel. ever seen "clean house" and wonder what kind of crap you need to get out of your home? i have. many times lately. believe me, liz, there's more stuff where the chicken plates came from! anyone need an oversized white board? tivo got so confused about my compulsive need to see how messy other people are that he's started picking out more bizarre things for me on the same channel. perhaps i should keep my bad taste in television shows down to a lower roar.
"local only lent" has some unexpected side effects.
1. linsey is about to beat me to a pulp to induce me into a target shopping trip. she's laid down a mandate that WE ARE GOING there on sunday for a binge.
2. shopping has become a more thoughtful act for me. see, when you have to consider every place where you shop or eat over the course of several weeks, you start to consider how much shopping you should really be doing.
3. derek has expressed an absolute hatred of thrifting, garage sales, and all secondhand shopping. he likes secondhand goods, but can't stand the digging.
4. every (larger) place i used to shop seems to be having really terrific clearance sales that all end before easter. oh well. guess i didn't need another pair of socks. bonnie seems to be my new sock dealer anyway. AND she's buying local from her area!
5. i'm more likely to look for different/cheaper/free things for entertainment. this seems to be like some crazy change taking over my whole lifestyle. by making my consumer world smaller, the rest of my world has gotten bigger. let's see if i can still hack it without having to be at rehearsal every night.
6. i'm addicted to braum's.
my reward after lent was supposed to be a new pogo camera. unfortunately, the release of them has been put off until june. sigh... should i celebrate with some shoes instead? promise i'll only buy them on sale, truly! i gave my theatre donations before derek lost his job, but i could stand a little more do-gooding. maybe i'll make donations for all those birthdays coming up in the next few weeks. that is, after i've done some major shopping to see if there's anything else out there to get for them.
dizzy is doing quite well. she runs to the kitchen each night and happily swallows the heart pills derek gives her in exchange for a follow-up of treats and overindulgent praise. if only she'd been so gracious with me, i wouldn't have had to wear multiple band aids on my hands that first day. (and i can give anything a pill, or so i thought) she is so totally derek's little princess. some evenings she just sits on his lap and gazes at him with utter cute-face. "i love you, derek. to all the rest of you - he's mine!" great. now will you listen to him and stop pooping on the bathroom floor right next to the box?!?
polenta lasagna rocks! it's way squishier than pasta lasagna.
i'm so proud of mary for saying no to me. that's not an easy task, especially when i really know how to sweeten the pot. maybe i should send her parents a thank you card for going on vacation at such a perfect time. it may have been the final straw that made her decision, and it's been paying off for her ever since. jenny was awesome in the part, you know, so i got like a twofer bonus out of the deal. now i'm just jealous about some of mary's recent excursions, as i've never been on any kind of skates that didn't involve my head hitting a very hard surface with a resounding crack.
speaking of my head, i've now been on the meds since last fall. it would be safe to say that the results are shockingly good. shocking, as in i can't believe i'm still on them. good, as in the shame of it has worn off and been replaced by relief. if you tell people you're on medication, they're never really sure whether or not to think you're just kidding. once they realize you're serious AND you think it's hilarious? they tell you what they've taken before! it's like a preemptive strike on making yourself feel like a fucking freak. in honor of the waning lent it should be called de-stigmata. look, jesus - no holes!
odd things i've done this month:
lost ten pounds while eating absolutely everything
been on television and not sounded like a dufus, i think
received a portrait of me as a superhero
more sidney poitier impressions
rode in a cool girl-powered rickshaw in exchange for a two dollar bill, a bag of popcorn, and a raspberry fruit rollup
06 March 2009
blogiversary!
i just realized it's been three years since i started doing this. holly, you are still an inspiration me me... even if i haven't written anything embarrassing about you lately. maybe i'll have to change that. surely we can beat the stupid hilarity of last month's measurement taking session. what more can we learn from wikihow? those instructions are a real scream.
good news and bad news:
i got the lead in a play! i've been promoted from understudy as of this week and am diligently working on my lines. with just under three weeks until opening it's a bit of a rush, but nowhere near as bad as it could have been if this had occurred with only days to go. i should be grateful that i don't have to panic. the rest of the cast is being helpful to me and the project looks to be enjoyable. now, which shoes will i wear?
princess dizzy has fallen ill. she was fine over the weekend during book club, but by monday morning we started to notice that she was acting out of sorts. she was lethargic and wheezing. on tuesday we took her to the vet and got her looked over, waiting to see what might be wrong. yesterday she got an ultrasound and the doctor informed us that she has heart problems. she's cleaned herself incessantly today and did finally eat on her own again, so we're hoping for more progress over the coming week.
vee sent me some crazy socks this week to keep me in good spirits. how i adore wearing knee highs! i've fallen into a bizarre skirt phase. not one in which a wear skirts that look bizarre, but a period that sees me in skirts and dresses way more often than i've worn them in the past. these socks will be terrific to don with a cute little skirt. they're a green argyle-ish with shamrocks. guess i now have something bright to wear for st. patrick's day that will make everyone else jealous.
the munny speakers are fabulous. derek took pictures along the way during construction, so i hope he posts a few of them soon. and hats! they have cute little hats! EEE!
derek is, as many of you already know, a casualty of the current economic downturn and newly unemployed. though it's only been a week, i suspect he already bored. his munny speaker project is complete. he's been taking care of dizzy and trying to keep himself occupied. am i the breadwinner this week or what? wait a minute. he's actually going to get an unemployment check! you know you're a real grownup when you can actually file for "help me for it was not my fault" money after an employer kicks you to the curb.
a couple more people at my job got fired this week. tomorrow i'm going in to cover for someone and will get to see how bad it's getting around there. the only reason i've stayed thus far is for the insurance. my medication doesn't come cheap and it's worth putting up with some bullshit (for now) in order to save money. how much longer that will last - or how much longer i have a job - is still up for speculation. the mere thought of looking for a new job makes my shoulders get tense and my nose wrinkle. it's humiliation galore; like being on a blind date with someone who's not even going to feed you, yet still dares you to be interesting enough to catch their attention. ick.
household items i heart today:
my truly awesome stick-vac
dental floss
pillows, pillows, pillows
the basil plant, which is STILL alive
scrub brushes for exfoliating
packing tape, of course
good news and bad news:
i got the lead in a play! i've been promoted from understudy as of this week and am diligently working on my lines. with just under three weeks until opening it's a bit of a rush, but nowhere near as bad as it could have been if this had occurred with only days to go. i should be grateful that i don't have to panic. the rest of the cast is being helpful to me and the project looks to be enjoyable. now, which shoes will i wear?
princess dizzy has fallen ill. she was fine over the weekend during book club, but by monday morning we started to notice that she was acting out of sorts. she was lethargic and wheezing. on tuesday we took her to the vet and got her looked over, waiting to see what might be wrong. yesterday she got an ultrasound and the doctor informed us that she has heart problems. she's cleaned herself incessantly today and did finally eat on her own again, so we're hoping for more progress over the coming week.
vee sent me some crazy socks this week to keep me in good spirits. how i adore wearing knee highs! i've fallen into a bizarre skirt phase. not one in which a wear skirts that look bizarre, but a period that sees me in skirts and dresses way more often than i've worn them in the past. these socks will be terrific to don with a cute little skirt. they're a green argyle-ish with shamrocks. guess i now have something bright to wear for st. patrick's day that will make everyone else jealous.
the munny speakers are fabulous. derek took pictures along the way during construction, so i hope he posts a few of them soon. and hats! they have cute little hats! EEE!
derek is, as many of you already know, a casualty of the current economic downturn and newly unemployed. though it's only been a week, i suspect he already bored. his munny speaker project is complete. he's been taking care of dizzy and trying to keep himself occupied. am i the breadwinner this week or what? wait a minute. he's actually going to get an unemployment check! you know you're a real grownup when you can actually file for "help me for it was not my fault" money after an employer kicks you to the curb.
a couple more people at my job got fired this week. tomorrow i'm going in to cover for someone and will get to see how bad it's getting around there. the only reason i've stayed thus far is for the insurance. my medication doesn't come cheap and it's worth putting up with some bullshit (for now) in order to save money. how much longer that will last - or how much longer i have a job - is still up for speculation. the mere thought of looking for a new job makes my shoulders get tense and my nose wrinkle. it's humiliation galore; like being on a blind date with someone who's not even going to feed you, yet still dares you to be interesting enough to catch their attention. ick.
household items i heart today:
my truly awesome stick-vac
dental floss
pillows, pillows, pillows
the basil plant, which is STILL alive
scrub brushes for exfoliating
packing tape, of course
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