Contrary to appearances, I'm alive and fine. The heat has arrived in Phoenix, over 110, which is my mark for 'hot'. This just happened this week, so I'm considering a good summer so far. Now I'm hiding in the air conditioning. The cats are also healthy and mostly happy. The younger on is again being a terror. I need to spend more time with him, I guess. I am sorry I got the second cat, as Bosley was purfect just as he was. I was afraid he'd be lonely, but I think he would vote for that rather than terrorized as he is sometimes now.
Work is still in the holding pattern. I can't transfer yet because the new guys don't have their laptops so they can start covering shifts. Not anyone local's fault, but we are still short staffed and nerves are frayed.
Sorting and such are on-going at home. I'm not keeping up with the scanning or shredding of paperwork as I would like to. For me the process always seems to take a long time. My sights are on September, when things should start to cool off a bit and I'm making vacation plans to head back East for a couple of weeks.
Saturday, July 26, 2014
Friday, July 04, 2014
Thank you, Ed
In my comments Ed has tried to keep me up to date on a bill in the AZ legislature about the Elio car and attempts to get an 'enclosed, 3 wheeled' car to not need a motorcycle endorsement to be legal to drive. Everything I've found is dated April 22, and it was waiting on the Gov. to sign it. When I duckduckgo it, that SB# is about gun control. Maybe it is part of that package, I didn't look too deeply. No notice on whether it was signed into law or not.
I'm at work making Holiday pay. Nothing is going on, but I'm being paid to be here. Previously when I was talking about how I am jogging (for some definitions of the word), I said the next celebration would be when I hit 300' or 50 pillars in the wall I run beside. Yesterday I ran the 50 pillars, walked up and back again that far, and then ran another 40 pillars or 240'. I felt it the rest of the day, but feel ok today. I just need to keep at it. Also, part of my goal was to be able to do 100 pushups of some kind. I've decided that if I can do 100 in a day (12 hours?) I'll consider it a goal met. I'm up to 20. Pushing up from a counter, not the floor. Progress. I can do 2 girly pushups now (knees), which is 2 more than I could do this time last year.
Yesterday I went to Costco in Superstitions Springs, not the one down by work. The one over in SS is a bit nicer, and has better samples. I totally forgot that it was the day before a Holiday, but it wasn't too teribly bad for all the crowd. I spent $125, so I figure if I can eat from my pantry for 2 weeks I'm ahead. So far so good. I definitely have enough food to make it. After I went to bed I was trying to rationalize not having taken the time to make something to bring into work today. Then I realized I could bring in a can of the lentil soup I got. Then I was trying to rationalize that I hadn't made any oatmeal to bring in for breakfast, and I knew that meant I would still go to Walmart at 2am to get something to eat. So, I got back up and made enough oatmeal for 2 days, and added cinnamon, cardamon, rasinens, craisens, sugar, and after it was in the bowls I added slivered almonds and honey. It was good this morning. So far I haven't got to get anything new to eat other than what I've brought from home. One of the samples at Costco was green pea crisps. I guess it is like a crouton for salads and such. It tasted like crispy green pea soup. You can get anything at Costco. They made up for it by also having vanilla ice cream samples.
I'm at work making Holiday pay. Nothing is going on, but I'm being paid to be here. Previously when I was talking about how I am jogging (for some definitions of the word), I said the next celebration would be when I hit 300' or 50 pillars in the wall I run beside. Yesterday I ran the 50 pillars, walked up and back again that far, and then ran another 40 pillars or 240'. I felt it the rest of the day, but feel ok today. I just need to keep at it. Also, part of my goal was to be able to do 100 pushups of some kind. I've decided that if I can do 100 in a day (12 hours?) I'll consider it a goal met. I'm up to 20. Pushing up from a counter, not the floor. Progress. I can do 2 girly pushups now (knees), which is 2 more than I could do this time last year.
Yesterday I went to Costco in Superstitions Springs, not the one down by work. The one over in SS is a bit nicer, and has better samples. I totally forgot that it was the day before a Holiday, but it wasn't too teribly bad for all the crowd. I spent $125, so I figure if I can eat from my pantry for 2 weeks I'm ahead. So far so good. I definitely have enough food to make it. After I went to bed I was trying to rationalize not having taken the time to make something to bring into work today. Then I realized I could bring in a can of the lentil soup I got. Then I was trying to rationalize that I hadn't made any oatmeal to bring in for breakfast, and I knew that meant I would still go to Walmart at 2am to get something to eat. So, I got back up and made enough oatmeal for 2 days, and added cinnamon, cardamon, rasinens, craisens, sugar, and after it was in the bowls I added slivered almonds and honey. It was good this morning. So far I haven't got to get anything new to eat other than what I've brought from home. One of the samples at Costco was green pea crisps. I guess it is like a crouton for salads and such. It tasted like crispy green pea soup. You can get anything at Costco. They made up for it by also having vanilla ice cream samples.
Thursday, June 26, 2014
Plodding along
It seems like I'm not making much progress. I do remember that I get this way every summer. No energy, no enthusiasm. I did not win my riches in Las Vegas, so I'm still working. :) Things there are still in a holding pattern as well. My eyes are now on September. It doesn't start cooling off here yet at that point, but I'm starting the process of looking for flights back to MO to visit, and it hopefully will be cooler back there by then.
The cats are healthy and I guess happy. Most of the time they are fun. Way too much of the time they are destroying stuff or accidentally(?) hurting me with their claws or teeth. Just playing. I'm learning to trim claws. Mostly Rasta, the younger one, is just too energetic and curious for my lifestyle. He also is the most affectionate one, which is what saves him. So far.
I now have insurance on the mobile home. The taxes are paid up. I'm totally legal. For now. For most of the other stuff, it's one step forward 3 steps back.
The cats are healthy and I guess happy. Most of the time they are fun. Way too much of the time they are destroying stuff or accidentally(?) hurting me with their claws or teeth. Just playing. I'm learning to trim claws. Mostly Rasta, the younger one, is just too energetic and curious for my lifestyle. He also is the most affectionate one, which is what saves him. So far.
I now have insurance on the mobile home. The taxes are paid up. I'm totally legal. For now. For most of the other stuff, it's one step forward 3 steps back.
Thursday, June 12, 2014
Clean Jeep
I don't know if I've mentioned it, but it doesn't rain a whole lot here in Phoenix. That is a problem in that with no rain, the dirt doesn't get washed off the Jeep. With the soft top I can't go to most car washes, I need one with the wand that goes around the Jeep after I pull into the stall, not the kind that gets pulled along an assembly cleaning line. I haven't found one of those here yet. There is some physics in why, but I'll take their word for it. I ran it through the one in Platte City, MO a couple of times back a year ago February to get the road salt off from my Chicago runs. That one is totally awesome, and if it was here I'd be running the Jeep through it weekly. Really. Then I moved out here. The poor Jeep has seen very little water since.
A few weeks ago I unearthed the hose assembly Mom gave me. It's one of those wonder hose things you can ball up 50' of in you hand when it isn't full of water. That's great, but it also lets it hide. However, I wanted the Jeep clean and today I did it, washed the Jeep the old fashioned way with a bucket of soapy water and the hose. Not a lot of hose water like I did in my childhood in the midwest, this is a desert. But I also hosed down the side of the mobile home that is inside the car port as the way the wind is here is sucks dust and all up into the car port. So, the Jeep, the mobile home, and I got hosed down nice and good.
I then got my new small vac out and had to search for an electric outlet outside. Found one, and managed to pretty much vacuum out all the dust and palm tree debris (small seed-like things that get everywhere...). Then I wiped down the inside dash and steering wheel and console.
The reason for all this is I'm going to Vegas again next week. This time I'm staying at Paris, the ritsy folk place. I plan to actually use Valet Parking (mostly because I don't know where the Paris self-park is) and I want to make sure there isn't anything I'd miss lurking in a corner of the Jeep. I also don't want to be ashamed to have a Paris valet take my keys and get into my nice, new (ok, now 6 yo) Jeep. So, Jeep is ready. I'm sweaty and tired and sore.
I also jogged 40 pillars this morning. It doesn't hurt a lot more to do 40 than 25. Pain is the same. I'll celebrate when I hit 300'. I'm 60' or 10 pillars from there.
A few weeks ago I unearthed the hose assembly Mom gave me. It's one of those wonder hose things you can ball up 50' of in you hand when it isn't full of water. That's great, but it also lets it hide. However, I wanted the Jeep clean and today I did it, washed the Jeep the old fashioned way with a bucket of soapy water and the hose. Not a lot of hose water like I did in my childhood in the midwest, this is a desert. But I also hosed down the side of the mobile home that is inside the car port as the way the wind is here is sucks dust and all up into the car port. So, the Jeep, the mobile home, and I got hosed down nice and good.
I then got my new small vac out and had to search for an electric outlet outside. Found one, and managed to pretty much vacuum out all the dust and palm tree debris (small seed-like things that get everywhere...). Then I wiped down the inside dash and steering wheel and console.
The reason for all this is I'm going to Vegas again next week. This time I'm staying at Paris, the ritsy folk place. I plan to actually use Valet Parking (mostly because I don't know where the Paris self-park is) and I want to make sure there isn't anything I'd miss lurking in a corner of the Jeep. I also don't want to be ashamed to have a Paris valet take my keys and get into my nice, new (ok, now 6 yo) Jeep. So, Jeep is ready. I'm sweaty and tired and sore.
I also jogged 40 pillars this morning. It doesn't hurt a lot more to do 40 than 25. Pain is the same. I'll celebrate when I hit 300'. I'm 60' or 10 pillars from there.
Thursday, June 05, 2014
Progress
I did my walk early today as I have things I want to do and most of them have me taking a shower first. I figured I should do my walk/run before taking a shower. So, around 5am, just as the sun was lighting the sky I went out. I walk/run along a side street that has little or no traffic along one side of my mobile home park. The park has a concrete block wall along it with pillars every 6ft or so. The first day I jogged I made it past 15 of the pillars. The second day, 25. Today, 35. So, I'm off to a good start on jogging. I'll take 4 days off from jogging and just walk on the treadmill the days I work since I can't get to do it until after noon when it is way too hot to be outside for me.
Other than that I've been lazy around here these days off. I did finish the baby blanket and I am rinsing it out now. I do that for baby blankets as I have cats and I want to get as much of the cat hair and such off as I can before I give it to a baby. The baby isn't due until September, but I'll take it into my co-worker (the husband) on Monday morning as that is the next time I work with him. I will try to get a picture of it here. It ended up 37" x 36".
As for the Elio car, yes, I'll have to get a motorcycle endorsement to drive it. In 4 states, unfortunately Missouri being one of them, I even have to wear a helmet even though it is an enclosed car. The hope is that laws will change for 3 wheeled cars by then. Of course, the flip side of that is they may then be classified as a car for plates and insurance. With a replacement cost of under $7K I can't believe either of those will be much.
Other than that I've been lazy around here these days off. I did finish the baby blanket and I am rinsing it out now. I do that for baby blankets as I have cats and I want to get as much of the cat hair and such off as I can before I give it to a baby. The baby isn't due until September, but I'll take it into my co-worker (the husband) on Monday morning as that is the next time I work with him. I will try to get a picture of it here. It ended up 37" x 36".
As for the Elio car, yes, I'll have to get a motorcycle endorsement to drive it. In 4 states, unfortunately Missouri being one of them, I even have to wear a helmet even though it is an enclosed car. The hope is that laws will change for 3 wheeled cars by then. Of course, the flip side of that is they may then be classified as a car for plates and insurance. With a replacement cost of under $7K I can't believe either of those will be much.
Tuesday, June 03, 2014
Car of the Future?
I just reserved a spot in line for a new car, to be delivered sometime next year:
http://www.eliomotors.com
I can't figure out how to post a picture of it that is the right size, but it is a 3-wheeled car built on a chassis like the CamAm Spyder, with 2 wheels in front and one in back. Seats 2, has heat and ac and a radio and usb ports. Gas mileage is projected to be 49city/84highway. And it will cost $6,800.00 and no, I didn't miss a zero there. Under seven thousand dollars for a new car and it is licensed and insured as a motorcycle (read: cheaper)
So, I figure I've gambled $100 on less before, what it cost to make my reservation. Maybe by next summer I'll have a new ride.
http://www.eliomotors.com
I can't figure out how to post a picture of it that is the right size, but it is a 3-wheeled car built on a chassis like the CamAm Spyder, with 2 wheels in front and one in back. Seats 2, has heat and ac and a radio and usb ports. Gas mileage is projected to be 49city/84highway. And it will cost $6,800.00 and no, I didn't miss a zero there. Under seven thousand dollars for a new car and it is licensed and insured as a motorcycle (read: cheaper)
So, I figure I've gambled $100 on less before, what it cost to make my reservation. Maybe by next summer I'll have a new ride.
Next?
I have my daily walk in already. It was cool enough to walk outside at 5:30 am, so I did. Inspired by Gypsy moving into a jog, I did the same. I jogged until my legs started mentioning it might be a good idea to stop, maybe 80-90 feet into it. My lungs caught up to the fact that I wasn't just walking about 10 steps after I slowed back down, and I felt it in my chest muscles for awhile during the rest of my walk. It isn't just the leg muscles that need to get into shape, it takes muscles to move my breathing in and out while exercising, and those muscles haven't been working hard lately, either.
I came back in and I'm working on getting one of my laptops up to date enough to hook the feed-through scanner to it so I can scan papers while sitting in my recliner. When I turned it on yesterday or the day before (forget which) it was reaaalllly slow. It aggravates me when my computers don't perform up to my standards, I mean, I do this for a living! So this morning I deleted off all old programs, especially since I don't really use that laptop much anymore. Then I defragged it. After a reboot it was running a lot better. Then I looked at a folder of old bookmarks from the late 2000's, up to maybe 2008? It was nice to find places I don't visit anymore, sad to see some that are no longer updated, and I found that a former friend is doing a bicycle tour. So, I will copy that folder to my current desktop and merge the links into my life again.
One blog was making a statement about how blogging has seemingly turned from a nice way to express oneself and meet with like-minded folks into something to 'create content' and 'monetize'. This blog entry was from a couple of years ago when blogging changed quite a lot in a short period of time as it was 'discovered' by large numbers of folks. My blog stays pretty old-school. I don't mind monetizing so much if it doesn't get in the way of the blog itself. This blog isn't monetized for one main reason: I have a good job. I know several folks have links and ads because they are on a fixed or low income and it is a way to bring in some money they wouldn't otherwise have. I am currently making a good paycheck so I don't try to compete with those folks for those dollars. I just give thanks for my ability to stay employed and go on.
On a related note, I had my review with my boss. He looked at me earlier in the day and patted me and said, 'it's good, don't worry so much' and I shrugged and said 'well, I already cleaned out my locker, so I'm good...' In reality, it was a good review. I can't move to the other department yet because they need me where I am now for awhile yet. Remember when I said we'd been told to 'hang on for April 1' for things to get better? Well, things move slower than that. Some of the new folks didn't pass their background check, and others are having to wait for their laptops to show up, and then they have to be trained. So, I got a lot of flowery words saying how much he needs me where I am and what a good job I'm doing. For now, I'm valuable. I'll go with that.
I came back in and I'm working on getting one of my laptops up to date enough to hook the feed-through scanner to it so I can scan papers while sitting in my recliner. When I turned it on yesterday or the day before (forget which) it was reaaalllly slow. It aggravates me when my computers don't perform up to my standards, I mean, I do this for a living! So this morning I deleted off all old programs, especially since I don't really use that laptop much anymore. Then I defragged it. After a reboot it was running a lot better. Then I looked at a folder of old bookmarks from the late 2000's, up to maybe 2008? It was nice to find places I don't visit anymore, sad to see some that are no longer updated, and I found that a former friend is doing a bicycle tour. So, I will copy that folder to my current desktop and merge the links into my life again.
One blog was making a statement about how blogging has seemingly turned from a nice way to express oneself and meet with like-minded folks into something to 'create content' and 'monetize'. This blog entry was from a couple of years ago when blogging changed quite a lot in a short period of time as it was 'discovered' by large numbers of folks. My blog stays pretty old-school. I don't mind monetizing so much if it doesn't get in the way of the blog itself. This blog isn't monetized for one main reason: I have a good job. I know several folks have links and ads because they are on a fixed or low income and it is a way to bring in some money they wouldn't otherwise have. I am currently making a good paycheck so I don't try to compete with those folks for those dollars. I just give thanks for my ability to stay employed and go on.
On a related note, I had my review with my boss. He looked at me earlier in the day and patted me and said, 'it's good, don't worry so much' and I shrugged and said 'well, I already cleaned out my locker, so I'm good...' In reality, it was a good review. I can't move to the other department yet because they need me where I am now for awhile yet. Remember when I said we'd been told to 'hang on for April 1' for things to get better? Well, things move slower than that. Some of the new folks didn't pass their background check, and others are having to wait for their laptops to show up, and then they have to be trained. So, I got a lot of flowery words saying how much he needs me where I am and what a good job I'm doing. For now, I'm valuable. I'll go with that.
Saturday, May 31, 2014
Not Reinvented Yet
It has been suggested that I should post that I'm fine and the guns are still in the closet. Not that I have guns, but that I haven't gone postal or anything. I keep meaning to post about the progress on the baby blanket that is almost finished, but haven't gotten it together to take a picture yet. I'm walking 4 days out of 5 at least a mile, although I've moved into the workout room at the park and to a treadmill because even at 5:30am (right after daybreak) it is already too hot for me to want to walk outside. Work is still in a holding pattern.
I still don't feel comfortable in my clothes. The jeans I bought several weeks back have shrunk up and are too short, above my ankle bone, so 3 of the 5 pairs should be donated. I'm going to look in the thrift shop next time, as those jeans should have shrunk up as much as they are going to. The next phase, as I continue to move through my clothes, is to also start on the boxes and boxes of papers I have stashed in corners and under tables. That will get moving in earnest during the next string of days off. Lots of scanning and shredding to do.
I'm still pondering things like priorities and where I am (mentally, physically, geographically) vs. where I think I want to be, and ways to get there. The cats are doing fine. I'm doing mostly ok with them. The smaller one is still wayyy to energetic and gets into everything and up on everything. They both use the litter box 100%, and other than paper don't destroy anything, so while I'm sure Rasta (the small one) thinks his name is 'GET DOWN FROM THERE!!!' mostly I'm enjoying them.
I still don't feel comfortable in my clothes. The jeans I bought several weeks back have shrunk up and are too short, above my ankle bone, so 3 of the 5 pairs should be donated. I'm going to look in the thrift shop next time, as those jeans should have shrunk up as much as they are going to. The next phase, as I continue to move through my clothes, is to also start on the boxes and boxes of papers I have stashed in corners and under tables. That will get moving in earnest during the next string of days off. Lots of scanning and shredding to do.
I'm still pondering things like priorities and where I am (mentally, physically, geographically) vs. where I think I want to be, and ways to get there. The cats are doing fine. I'm doing mostly ok with them. The smaller one is still wayyy to energetic and gets into everything and up on everything. They both use the litter box 100%, and other than paper don't destroy anything, so while I'm sure Rasta (the small one) thinks his name is 'GET DOWN FROM THERE!!!' mostly I'm enjoying them.
Monday, May 12, 2014
Reinventing
The trip to Las Vegas helped me step back to a longer range view of my current life. I watched the people passing by when I would sit. There are a lot of people passing by on the Strip, and along corridors in the Hotels and casinos. I was looking for a 'look', an attitude, and style that I could use as a starting point. I saw a lot of diversity in fashion, ages, levels of dress. I didn't see a lot that did much for me, as in made me think I wanted to try to copy it or use it to start my new look or lifestyle. As far as clothing, I did find that when the clothes fit the person, size-wise, no matter the person's age, gender, or level of dressiness, the outfit 'worked'.
Most of us seem to still be trying to fit into clothes that don't work for us anymore. And, of course, clothes are more than a metaphor, mostly the most obvious level of change in my life right now. I've lived for the past several years where under 90 degrees is chilly and under 70 degrees has me pulling out a coat and turning on the heat in the Jeep as I drive to work. Between my time in Honduras and now living in Phoenix most of my heavier clothing is 10-20 years old. It is tight, and not appropriate for my current lifestyle. It is difficult to get rid of closets full of clothes for me, though. I'm working my way through it.
Pretty much all of my large stash of makeup is over 5 years old, a lot of it older than that. I don't wear makeup anymore. It will go at some point. Along with my admission that I just don't care to try that hard anymore to 'look the look'. A lot of my more professional clothing has already gone away, but even the few things I've kept are probably out of style. They are on the list of things to try on and make decisions on.
It is a work in progress, as I try to figure out what I want my life to look like now.
Most of us seem to still be trying to fit into clothes that don't work for us anymore. And, of course, clothes are more than a metaphor, mostly the most obvious level of change in my life right now. I've lived for the past several years where under 90 degrees is chilly and under 70 degrees has me pulling out a coat and turning on the heat in the Jeep as I drive to work. Between my time in Honduras and now living in Phoenix most of my heavier clothing is 10-20 years old. It is tight, and not appropriate for my current lifestyle. It is difficult to get rid of closets full of clothes for me, though. I'm working my way through it.
Pretty much all of my large stash of makeup is over 5 years old, a lot of it older than that. I don't wear makeup anymore. It will go at some point. Along with my admission that I just don't care to try that hard anymore to 'look the look'. A lot of my more professional clothing has already gone away, but even the few things I've kept are probably out of style. They are on the list of things to try on and make decisions on.
It is a work in progress, as I try to figure out what I want my life to look like now.
Thursday, May 01, 2014
My clothes don't fit
Not just size, but nothing feels right. I'm changing, although not in ways that are obvious. I realize it by the external evidence. Nothing feels right when I put it on. Nothing looks right. People relate to me differently lately. I am not interested in some of the things I used to be interested in, and I'm not finding a lot to take the place of those interesting things in my life. I'm not sure what I'll be like on the other side of this, but I wish it would materialize already.
I'm taking the opportunity to continue to unpack. Just today as I was going through the extra luggage... what? You don't have extra luggage. Well, I have a luggage facination, so I have lots. And inside of some of this luggage, that was packed away in a large plastic tote, were some of the clothes I've vaguely wondered about. So, now I have piles of more clothes to figure out where to put them away. Some I need to try on. The pants, I'm thinking that they were put back for a reason, but darned if I can remember why. This is why I'm trying to unpack everything and go through it, I tend to stash items inside other items and forget where I put them.
That's what has been going on. Vague discomfort, my world feeling tilted and trying to not fight it and let the way out suggest itself. Work is still in a holding pattern. I tend to walk around there angry as often as not, mostly because I can't get comfortable and make a plan. No one seems to know what is going on. So, I'm headed to Las Vegas again next week on my days off. I need a change in perspective.
I'm taking the opportunity to continue to unpack. Just today as I was going through the extra luggage... what? You don't have extra luggage. Well, I have a luggage facination, so I have lots. And inside of some of this luggage, that was packed away in a large plastic tote, were some of the clothes I've vaguely wondered about. So, now I have piles of more clothes to figure out where to put them away. Some I need to try on. The pants, I'm thinking that they were put back for a reason, but darned if I can remember why. This is why I'm trying to unpack everything and go through it, I tend to stash items inside other items and forget where I put them.
That's what has been going on. Vague discomfort, my world feeling tilted and trying to not fight it and let the way out suggest itself. Work is still in a holding pattern. I tend to walk around there angry as often as not, mostly because I can't get comfortable and make a plan. No one seems to know what is going on. So, I'm headed to Las Vegas again next week on my days off. I need a change in perspective.
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