Odds and Ends

Quote from the comic Zippy: If time didn't go by so fast I wouldn't dwell so much in th' past.

I had, for me, a very social week leading up to Christmas. I had social obligations for 3 days in a row, ending on Christmas Eve with having dinner with my parents and then working some more on setting up Mom's computer. On Saturday, which was my birthday, I helped oddball and various friends move what they were able to salvage from the fire into their new apartment. Then he took WizardPC and I out to dinner as a thank-you. Since that was what I'd wanted for my birthday - to spend it with friends - I got my wish and had a very good birthday.

Since I got home the evening of Christmas Eve I have not gone out of the house. Today, which is Thursday, I will go out and run the necessary errands. This includes the fact that my truck plates run out at the end of they year in 4 days. Since the county I used to live in didn't require emissions testing and the one I moved to does, I should start that process today. With a truck that is 10 years old and has 280K+ miles on it, this might get complicated and/or expensive. First off I know I need a gas cap. I lost the first one within 6 months of buying the truck new. My then boyfriend insisted that I get a new one. Well, I lost it soon after, but I had also lost the boyfriend so I never replaced it. I think I also have a leak in the exhaust system. It is original, so that isn't really a surprise. Just don't know how that will affect the emissions test. I probably should also get the oil changed beforehand. Like I said, it may get complicated.

I finally installed the tub diverter/faucet. That bathroom is now much, much cleaner. However, I found that as I cleaned I saw just how damaged it is. Mostly wear and tear that isn't dirt but actual places that won't clean up. I was depressed yesterday because of it. That room will need over-hauling that is more than just painting as I had hoped. Again it is the question of where to draw the line, how much to fix. The entire tub and surround could use a replacement. Also, the shower head is loose, but that would mean sawing a hole in the wall behind it to get to it to tighten things. That bedroom that has the shared wall is the one with the most damage, and one more hole wouldn't be that big a deal, I guess. It is also most likely the last room I'll tackle, so I'll leave that decision until then.

I spent most of one day just shredding papers with my new heavy duty shredder. I have more to go, but I can see progress there. Now I just need to take the trash away. FlyLady (flylady.net) says that we shouldn't turn our houses into landfills just because we either don't want to take things to the landfill for environmental reasons or because we hold onto things that need to really be trashed. I have spent over 2 years just cleaning out old trash from my stuff. I keep making deeper and deeper cuts, and when I really look at a lot of the stuff I've moved around I can't think of anyone who would want it. There is some guilt, but I want to be rid of all this just 'stuff'.

Which brings me to what I've really been doing these past few days. Nothing. Nothing but laying around thinking of how I really kinda wish I was down to just what would fit into my truck to move, how I wish I lived in a one-room house or houseboat or RV, etc. I am a long ways from that now. And, really, I don't know that I want that at all. But, I can't pull myself out of this funk and start working on the house right now. Madcap Mum, over on blogspot, posted a site that has information that she's been using to help herself with some issues. I'm going to try it out. I know that if she hadn't posted that it's helped her I would dismiss it as hype because it has a lot of the hallmarks of it. However, around page 35 of the free manual it did in fact have the directions on how to use the process after all. So, today I will take a shower, get out and run errands, and this evening I'll start learning this process. If it works I'll post the link here for those who don't go to her site.