I forgot that I needed to go into work this morning for a few hours, and I was luxuriating in lying in bed with no schedule. Then I remembered, and it was 15 minutes till the time I had set to meet one of the soldiers and fix an issue. So I jumped up, got myself together, and ran out to the Jeep. It's the last day of July. Most of the US is having a heat wave. I was shivering before I got to the Jeep. Cloudy chilly day. Luckily I had the fleece in the Jeep so I ended up putting it on. At any rate, we got the issued fixed and I'm back home.
So, today is clean up and sort some more and make decisions on belongings that don't really work for me anymore, but that also don't tend to cause a problem. I need to pull things out (one at a time!) and make some decisions so that when I move (which hopefully will be soon) I can just pack up what I want to keep and go.
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Friday, July 30, 2010
Change gets closer
I guess this is what I get for moving things out from in front of my doorways. I have a phone interview for a potential job back home. Since it isn't till Monday, I started agitating more on the job in Honduras. Found out that the point person had never gotten my resume after all. After I had applied online at the official site, and it had been sent by the friend of a friend network. So, he asked me to email it to him. Did that Thursday. The same company's job bot emailed me that I qualified to apply for a job with them in Miami. So, I submitted for that one, too. The job in Nashville would have me needing to be moved back in 3 weeks from when I get hired. This weekend I am going to get even more serious about weeding out things and organizing like things with like. I have a plan already in place that should make it doable. Guess I'll see.
On Monday I was reading Ara's blog http://theoasisofmysoul.com/ and saw that he was near me. I emailed him, and we ended up making arrangements for me to drive over and meet him and Spirit (his dog). Ara travels on his motorcycle with Spirit riding in a sidecar. The sidecar has been used heavily for 5 years. Ara is not just a weekend rider, it is his lifestyle. Since his transportation was in the shop, I picked them up in the Jeep and we went to a small drive-in restaurant that I had seen on my way into town. We sat at a picnic table in the shade of the building and had good small town hamburgers, fries, and raspberry Italian soda's with cream and whipped cream. It was a good meal with excellent company. I thoroughly enjoyed the evening. I took a couple of pictures, but I used my camera and the flash washed out in such a way that I don't think they will post well. I may download them tomorrow and see. We had talked about meeting over in the Olympics at a campground to continue the conversation, but his repairs weren't going to be done in time, and he had other friends to visit. It was wonderful to actually meet someone who's blog I have followed for a few years. If you enjoy excellent photography, head to his blog as he chronicles his travels with pictures and words.
On Monday I was reading Ara's blog http://theoasisofmysoul.com/ and saw that he was near me. I emailed him, and we ended up making arrangements for me to drive over and meet him and Spirit (his dog). Ara travels on his motorcycle with Spirit riding in a sidecar. The sidecar has been used heavily for 5 years. Ara is not just a weekend rider, it is his lifestyle. Since his transportation was in the shop, I picked them up in the Jeep and we went to a small drive-in restaurant that I had seen on my way into town. We sat at a picnic table in the shade of the building and had good small town hamburgers, fries, and raspberry Italian soda's with cream and whipped cream. It was a good meal with excellent company. I thoroughly enjoyed the evening. I took a couple of pictures, but I used my camera and the flash washed out in such a way that I don't think they will post well. I may download them tomorrow and see. We had talked about meeting over in the Olympics at a campground to continue the conversation, but his repairs weren't going to be done in time, and he had other friends to visit. It was wonderful to actually meet someone who's blog I have followed for a few years. If you enjoy excellent photography, head to his blog as he chronicles his travels with pictures and words.
Monday, July 26, 2010
Shift
As they say "Shift Happens" . It is building in my life. Little things. I read Ara's essay/post on Faith. He said that word sums up what he is feeling. Faith. It resonated with me. Simple. No dogma. Just Faith. I like it. Faith that things will work as they are meant to and/or that I'll have the strength to deal. And so, a bit of shift happened.
Tonight I read a blog by someone who is going a year without using any single-use plastic. Ok, stop for a minute and think about that. Think about today. Think how often you used single use plastic. Straw in your softdrink? Plastic cup? Plastic eating utensils? Plastic bag to hold the healthy produce you got at the store? Plastic bag to put the groceries in you bought? Think about it. Then think about not using any of that, no plastic peanut butter jars, mayonnaise bottles, no single use plastic, for an entire year. I do well remembering to take along my reusable water bottles. About half the time I remember to take in my reusable cloth bags when I go shopping. I know those two things alone are a trash nightmare.
I'm thinking of the plastic utensils I have. I bought a large box of them at Sam's at some point in my past. Or, more likely, Mom got them for me when I was moving or something so I wouldn't have to do dishes. It's more convenient, you know. I don't use plastic utensils for a single use, I wash them and reuse them. It was funny to watch my guest this weekend sort through my 'silverware' drawer to find me a metal spoon. It took her a minute to move the plastic ones out of the way. And, it was for me, not her. I don't expect my guests (what few there are) to use my plastic utensils, there is the sanitary thing for one. I get them the metal ones. So, anyway, I've carted this large box of unused plastic utensils around for maybe 10 years now. I think I'll take them into work for them to use. Yes, it's single use, but it would be worse to throw them away not even getting that single use out of them. And so another bit of shift happens.
At some point I'll post about my friend's visit. I took pictures with my digital camera, which means that I need to download them. I'll see how it goes. My apartment is more uncluttered than it's been for awhile since I cleaned for company. I think I'll just pull one thing out at a time to deal with. I like the empty spaces that are there now.
Something I'm noticing, especially since I read a reference (on a blog, of course) about someone hiring a feng shui professional to arrange their apartment, is that I tend to block doorways and passages. I pile stuff in front of my main door, my sliding patio door, and now the door to my primary bathroom. I'm going to work on that first. I know I'm unconsciously blocking progress. So, I'll move the stuff and get ready for more shift to happen.
Tonight I read a blog by someone who is going a year without using any single-use plastic. Ok, stop for a minute and think about that. Think about today. Think how often you used single use plastic. Straw in your softdrink? Plastic cup? Plastic eating utensils? Plastic bag to hold the healthy produce you got at the store? Plastic bag to put the groceries in you bought? Think about it. Then think about not using any of that, no plastic peanut butter jars, mayonnaise bottles, no single use plastic, for an entire year. I do well remembering to take along my reusable water bottles. About half the time I remember to take in my reusable cloth bags when I go shopping. I know those two things alone are a trash nightmare.
I'm thinking of the plastic utensils I have. I bought a large box of them at Sam's at some point in my past. Or, more likely, Mom got them for me when I was moving or something so I wouldn't have to do dishes. It's more convenient, you know. I don't use plastic utensils for a single use, I wash them and reuse them. It was funny to watch my guest this weekend sort through my 'silverware' drawer to find me a metal spoon. It took her a minute to move the plastic ones out of the way. And, it was for me, not her. I don't expect my guests (what few there are) to use my plastic utensils, there is the sanitary thing for one. I get them the metal ones. So, anyway, I've carted this large box of unused plastic utensils around for maybe 10 years now. I think I'll take them into work for them to use. Yes, it's single use, but it would be worse to throw them away not even getting that single use out of them. And so another bit of shift happens.
At some point I'll post about my friend's visit. I took pictures with my digital camera, which means that I need to download them. I'll see how it goes. My apartment is more uncluttered than it's been for awhile since I cleaned for company. I think I'll just pull one thing out at a time to deal with. I like the empty spaces that are there now.
Something I'm noticing, especially since I read a reference (on a blog, of course) about someone hiring a feng shui professional to arrange their apartment, is that I tend to block doorways and passages. I pile stuff in front of my main door, my sliding patio door, and now the door to my primary bathroom. I'm going to work on that first. I know I'm unconsciously blocking progress. So, I'll move the stuff and get ready for more shift to happen.
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Time to post
I guess I should post again. I've been leaving comments on blogs lately, and if others check out the blogs of the commenter like I do then someone just might stop by here. Hate to not have something up for them to read. I do exist. I'm not a stalker who just runs around making comments from the darkness. Then again, the name of the blog is In The Shadows, so in a manner of speaking I do dart out from the shadows. I had thought to post at least one of the pictures I took with the IPhone last night. I set up my custom hammock stand and took pictures and posted on a hiking forum I <cough> hang out on. However, none of them stand alone very well, and are uninteresting if you aren't in to hammocks and stands. I was wanting to actually spotlight the cats, but there is so much clutter in the shots that the cuteness of the cats kind of gets lost. The phone doesn't have a zoom or flash, so pictures of moving cats are a challenge.
Mom grabbed a friend in the small town she moved to, and they went to the fair. Neither had been in years. I kind of miss going to county fairs. I'm sure they have them out here. Guess I should ask around. Mom said they had fun. Since it was senior day they got in free.
Still much house cleaning going on for my friend's visit this tomorrow. She's coming up from Oregon to spend the night. I went and visited her a few months ago. We ran around together some in high school. Luckily I knew her married name and it was unusual enough that I found her via the internet. We spent 24 hrs. catching up on 30 years last time. Probably be a continuation this weekend. The hammock stand pictures were prompted by the fact that I don't have a couch or spare bed. So, I plan on sleeping in the hammock. She mentioned she might want to sleep in it, though. Guess not having an actual spare bed to offer won't be too much of an issue. Only having one chair is. I have my recliner. I'll have to get out a camp chair. Can you tell I don't entertain much?
Work has been busy with my co-worker still out. I've been more tired than usual when I get home. It is also chilly. As in needing a fleece as well as a rain/wind jacket. Heck, it's almost August, and its in the lower 50's when I go out to go to work in the mornings. It never warmed up much today, and there was a chilly wind. I figure if that job in Central America comes through I'll miss this weather. I'm rambling and not making much sense, so I'll stop now.
Mom grabbed a friend in the small town she moved to, and they went to the fair. Neither had been in years. I kind of miss going to county fairs. I'm sure they have them out here. Guess I should ask around. Mom said they had fun. Since it was senior day they got in free.
Still much house cleaning going on for my friend's visit this tomorrow. She's coming up from Oregon to spend the night. I went and visited her a few months ago. We ran around together some in high school. Luckily I knew her married name and it was unusual enough that I found her via the internet. We spent 24 hrs. catching up on 30 years last time. Probably be a continuation this weekend. The hammock stand pictures were prompted by the fact that I don't have a couch or spare bed. So, I plan on sleeping in the hammock. She mentioned she might want to sleep in it, though. Guess not having an actual spare bed to offer won't be too much of an issue. Only having one chair is. I have my recliner. I'll have to get out a camp chair. Can you tell I don't entertain much?
Work has been busy with my co-worker still out. I've been more tired than usual when I get home. It is also chilly. As in needing a fleece as well as a rain/wind jacket. Heck, it's almost August, and its in the lower 50's when I go out to go to work in the mornings. It never warmed up much today, and there was a chilly wind. I figure if that job in Central America comes through I'll miss this weather. I'm rambling and not making much sense, so I'll stop now.
Monday, July 19, 2010
Quiet day
Things at work are still low key. I heard from both Lori, my co--worker, that her niece is doing ok and even up walking after her wreck last week, and Turtle Lady via a quick text response to mine saying her son is improving each day. Hopefully both (unrelated) hospital stays will be over this week.
A cool link I got from Lloyd Kahn's blog tonight is: http://www.strangebuildings.com/ . I want the Ceramic House that is in Colombia. It looks like a cob house, but there are no details to say why they call it ceramic. A close second is the Flintstone House but they say it's in Burlingame, USA. I'm thinking maybe Birmingham to Burlington?
Went and got groceries today so that I can take my lunch to work. I get tired of heading off post for lunch, and eating fast food. So, I got soup and bread for tuna salad sandwiches and yogurt and rice crispy treats (you didn't think I'd be totally healthy, did you?). Also got some generic Cranberry Pomegranate juice to have something other than coffee to drink around here.
Reading blogs has got me thinking (always dangerous) about changing up my blog templates. Dunno, kinda hate to mess with what has worked.
A cool link I got from Lloyd Kahn's blog tonight is: http://www.strangebuildings.com/ . I want the Ceramic House that is in Colombia. It looks like a cob house, but there are no details to say why they call it ceramic. A close second is the Flintstone House but they say it's in Burlingame, USA. I'm thinking maybe Birmingham to Burlington?
Went and got groceries today so that I can take my lunch to work. I get tired of heading off post for lunch, and eating fast food. So, I got soup and bread for tuna salad sandwiches and yogurt and rice crispy treats (you didn't think I'd be totally healthy, did you?). Also got some generic Cranberry Pomegranate juice to have something other than coffee to drink around here.
Reading blogs has got me thinking (always dangerous) about changing up my blog templates. Dunno, kinda hate to mess with what has worked.
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Ceremony
This week there was a Change of Command ceremony at work. The Military does things a certain way, and I have come to see that there is comfort in knowing what will happen. In this case, the outgoing Commander added a bit to it, and while the guys moaned about the practice in marching (which they aren't used to) out in the sun so that everything would go as planned, the actual ceremony was awesome. Listening to the speakers and seeing the guys standing in formation and then passing in review was a big reminder that I work every day with heroes. Of course, coming back into the building after the ceremony all filled with new respect for these warriors, they started being their usual selves, so I went back to fussing and insulting them per Standard Operating Procedure. Still they all looked truly awesome all decked out in the 'good' uniforms and on their sharpest Military behavior while it lasted.
As shown below, it seems that I can post pictures directly from my IPhone. If I'd known that while I was at Mt. St. Helens I would have posted them from the site rather than waiting 2 weeks. I don't know if there is any limit to the number of photos posted this way on the blog(s). Guess I'll just keep posting them till I find out.
As shown below, it seems that I can post pictures directly from my IPhone. If I'd known that while I was at Mt. St. Helens I would have posted them from the site rather than waiting 2 weeks. I don't know if there is any limit to the number of photos posted this way on the blog(s). Guess I'll just keep posting them till I find out.
It works!!!
Who knew I could do this!
Friday, July 16, 2010
Title Goes Here
Can't think of even a boring title today. Odd week. Tuesday was a day of change for many around me, some good, several not so good. My partner at work got a call that a teenage niece who has been living with my partner's Mom had been in a bad accident. So, she ended up heading to the other side of the state to be with her family. Mom my moved Tuesday. I reported that they loaded up the big truck and headed off. They got to Kansas City around 1am, slept a few hours and went and unloaded the truck into Mom's new apartment. As of tonight she is mostly unpacked and moved in. Signs she's back home: While out running errands she saw a storm approaching, and that my Aunt had laundry hanging to dry outside. My Aunt was at work down the street at the library. So, Mom stopped and grabbed the laundry and put it in her car, then went down to assure her sister that despite what neighbors might call and say, her clothes hadn't actually been abducted. After the hard rain shower Mom went back and gave my Aunt her now dry laundry. In unpacking her freezer items some frozen peaches got thawed, and since Mom didn't want to take the time to do anything with them she took them (again, just down the street) to a family friend and former neighbor of hers who was going to make them into a cobbler to take to the senior center. Mom's home.
Another not so good thing that happened Tuesday was my friend Turtle Lady's son was injured and had to have emergency surgery. TL and her husband are across the state from their home, camped out near the hospital as the rest of the family gathers around. Prayers and good thoughts for the family are solicited as they have some long-term issues to work through helping their adult son through this.
More went on this week, but I'll post more on that tomorrow.
Another not so good thing that happened Tuesday was my friend Turtle Lady's son was injured and had to have emergency surgery. TL and her husband are across the state from their home, camped out near the hospital as the rest of the family gathers around. Prayers and good thoughts for the family are solicited as they have some long-term issues to work through helping their adult son through this.
More went on this week, but I'll post more on that tomorrow.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Going Back
I took some time and re-read some of my earlier postings to the blog from a few years ago. Funny, it seemed while reading them that I was talking about things just the other day rather than 3 or more years ago. I am still working on many of the same issues, and others I have fallen even further from where I want to be. I keep pondering but what I need to do is stop pondering and get up and do.
Over at SimpleLiving.net I'm participating in an inventory challenge. Because I'm actually reporting in I feel obligated to count something every night. That would be rather the point of posting, that sense of something outside of myself forcing me to actually do it. As I count I pull things out and turn over the items so that the less used things are up front. I actually get rid of things, or at least put them in the pile for Goodwill. I also make notes of where to purge further if/when I need to fit things into a smaller footprint. I want to fit everything except me and the cats into a modular moving cube when I move cross-country again. No more big moving trucks pulling my Jeep behind again if I can help it.
Speaking of big moving trucks, Mom is right now in the process of moving to Kansas City. A cousin flew in this morning and they picked up the moving truck. Mom hired a couple of guys and they loaded the truck and Mom and Butch took off from Nashville around 2:30 pm. Butch said they will drive till they get there, which is how I tend to do things, too. I told Mom to take pillows and a blanket in the cab with her (they are pulling her car behind like I did my Jeep) so she can sleep. She didn't think she'd need a blanket, but I said that they could always stop at a WalMart and get one if she does. I'll call yet again to see how they are doing in a bit. When I got off work they were already just over an hour from St. Louis. Mom tends to just get up and do things. She checked out places to live when she was back there Memorial weekend, and she's moving there today. I've been whining for a year that I want to move back, and here I still sit.
Over at SimpleLiving.net I'm participating in an inventory challenge. Because I'm actually reporting in I feel obligated to count something every night. That would be rather the point of posting, that sense of something outside of myself forcing me to actually do it. As I count I pull things out and turn over the items so that the less used things are up front. I actually get rid of things, or at least put them in the pile for Goodwill. I also make notes of where to purge further if/when I need to fit things into a smaller footprint. I want to fit everything except me and the cats into a modular moving cube when I move cross-country again. No more big moving trucks pulling my Jeep behind again if I can help it.
Speaking of big moving trucks, Mom is right now in the process of moving to Kansas City. A cousin flew in this morning and they picked up the moving truck. Mom hired a couple of guys and they loaded the truck and Mom and Butch took off from Nashville around 2:30 pm. Butch said they will drive till they get there, which is how I tend to do things, too. I told Mom to take pillows and a blanket in the cab with her (they are pulling her car behind like I did my Jeep) so she can sleep. She didn't think she'd need a blanket, but I said that they could always stop at a WalMart and get one if she does. I'll call yet again to see how they are doing in a bit. When I got off work they were already just over an hour from St. Louis. Mom tends to just get up and do things. She checked out places to live when she was back there Memorial weekend, and she's moving there today. I've been whining for a year that I want to move back, and here I still sit.
Wednesday, July 07, 2010
Finally
Today is the first day I have been too warm. The East is having a heat wave with 100+ degree days. Here, today was the first day that I peeled out of my fleece upon getting to work. I wouldn't have needed it at all, even with my short sleeve top, but I did need it yesterday with a long sleeve top, so it was habit. I was too cold for part of the past weekend, even with the fleece, outside. Also, there is a bright orb in the sky that looks only vaguely familiar. Maybe summer (all few days of it?) is finally here in the PNW.
This past weekend I drove over to Mount St. Helens. It was cloudy so I only saw the middle part of the mountain. I was going to post a picture, but that's why I haven't written about the trip, waiting to get around to posting the picture. Maybe I'll post it this next weekend... I found a restaurant on the road to Mount St. Helens that advertised via a large sign that they have home made cobbler. I stopped and had some soup, then had some strawberry rhubarb cobbler. It was awesome. Almost worth the 75 mile drive down to the place just for the cobbler. If you drive 505 to 504 you can't miss the place. That was the highlight of the trip. I may go back and see the mountain on a clear day, now that we may actually a few. It was 50 degrees and windy at 4000' where the visitor center is. It cost $8 to actually hang out there, and since it was cold, windy, and cloudy I didn't pay money to see what I could see from the roadside pullouts. Again, maybe next time.
No progress on the job hunting. No progress on studying. That's pretty much it.
This past weekend I drove over to Mount St. Helens. It was cloudy so I only saw the middle part of the mountain. I was going to post a picture, but that's why I haven't written about the trip, waiting to get around to posting the picture. Maybe I'll post it this next weekend... I found a restaurant on the road to Mount St. Helens that advertised via a large sign that they have home made cobbler. I stopped and had some soup, then had some strawberry rhubarb cobbler. It was awesome. Almost worth the 75 mile drive down to the place just for the cobbler. If you drive 505 to 504 you can't miss the place. That was the highlight of the trip. I may go back and see the mountain on a clear day, now that we may actually a few. It was 50 degrees and windy at 4000' where the visitor center is. It cost $8 to actually hang out there, and since it was cold, windy, and cloudy I didn't pay money to see what I could see from the roadside pullouts. Again, maybe next time.
No progress on the job hunting. No progress on studying. That's pretty much it.
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