October 24th, 2011
My daddy always used to say “…the road to Hell was paved with good intentions.” I wonder if that extends to those of us with ADD who start out with such good plans to change ourselves, to raise our kids right, keep the house clean, grow veggies, eat veggies, walk the dogs…. Well, you get the idea.
I was looking for notebook paper to once again try and make a monthly menu so I could shop more efficiently and I thought, oh, that binder I have…the one with the white horses on it…I’ve never kept up with the journal I started in it, literally 20+ years ago…there’ll be a ton of unused notebook paper in there. It’ll be a bit old, but still usable, no need to open one of the spare packs I have for the kiddo. Well, yes, there was, is, a ton of notebook paper in it. Also, dividers (labeled “Contract,” “Routines & Lists,” “Journal,” “Menus & Shopping,” “Diet & Workout”, a contract with myself, and a zipper pouch of pens, ruler, and stickies. “facepalm” Wanna know the date? 19 JUL 09. Yes, 2009. *eyeroll and another facepalm*
I don’t know whether to be heartened by the fact that apparently nothing’s (or very little) changed in my outlook, or to be very disturbed nothing’s changed in my outlook.
*confused look*
So, here’s the contract I wrote out then (and I REALLY wish WP would preserve Word formatting):
I. Whereas –
A. I am tired of being…
- tired all the time,
- fat,
- stiff,
- in pain,
- in a disaster zone,
- financially out of control,
B. I am disconnected from…
- family,
- my body,
- nature,
- the Divine,
- my creativity,
C. I am Squandering…
- years,
- talents,
- resources,
II. I recognize I am…
A. Intelligent,
B. Talented,
C. Resourceful,
D. Determined,
E. The only one who can change ME
III. Therefore, I resolve…
A. To Rejuvenate by…
- stretching,
- following a workout plan,
- getting the proper amount of rest,
- making healthy food choices,
- develop my household routines,
- create and follow a budget and pay-off plan
B. To reconnect by…
- having family meals at the table,
- include Mother in more things,
- meditate and pray
- invite the Divine in through prayer and ritual,
- set aside time for creating,
C. [To remind myself]….
- life is short, spend every moment wisely,
- things don’t have to be perfect,
- appreciate and use what I do have and not bemoan what I don’t have,
- life is a work in progress and will never be finished.
IV. My priorities are…
A. To not overload by…
- trying to do it all at once,
- losing perspective,
- expecting immediate results,
- forgetting the larger picture by getting caught up in the details.
B. Every night…
1.review the day
a. What did I accomplish?
b. What was left undone?
- move to the next day –or–
- re-evaluate – do I need to do it
–tomorrow?
–another time?
–does something else need to get done first?
- Does a schedule or routine need to be changed based on a/b?
- [Write in journal, especially things I am thankful for]
2. review and prioritize tomorrow
3. follow the routine
C. Remember I am part of the web…
1. I am central to my, if I don’t care of my needs, no one else will,
2. [but] I also touch and impact others,
3. some small thing I do –or don’t do–can resonate billions of light years away, plucking the web and thereby change the Universe,
D. don’t let “C” get [me] down,
E. don’t be your own worst enemy,
F. follow thru through [hahahahah]
G. KISS (keep it simple, silly!)
19 July 2009 then, is the first day of the rest of my life, the day I choose to be reborn. I make this covenant with myself, the Divine within and without as my witness.
I was going to rewrite or type up the contract but I want it to be as is, imperfect, fluid, dynamic, and alterable, like life itself.
Follow through!
//signed//
19 July 2009
————————————-
It would be laughable…it is laughable…but it’s exactly what I would write today. There’s some reason I found this today, some pivotal moment, I suppose. Trying not to read too terribly much into it, but I’m renewing this and am going to put effort into seeing it through.
Categories: Self |
Tags: about me, questions with no answers, Self, things that make you say WTF? | Comments Off
July 25th, 2011
Next SCA list: Feastbox
The feastbox is a wooden box about the size of a smallish cooler. My husband made it. It’s virtually indestructible and a pain in butt to carry.
Standard:
- 4 plates
- 4 maple bowls spare wooden bowls
- drinking vessels
- period utensils – spoons, knives (forks not period, optional)
- cutting knives
- matches, butane lighter
- salt & pepper
- paper towels
- napkins
- table cover
- carrier bags, trash bags
- foil & glad-tainers
For court events:
- Table runner
- Chargers
- Candles & holders
Categories: Lists, SCA |
Tags: hobbies, lists, projects, SCA | 2 Comments
July 25th, 2011
After all that angsting about which notebook to use for my lists…I’ve decided to keep the original. I mean, everything’s already written out, why go to all the hassle? There’s still plenty of room in the spiral, too. I can save the other one for a different project.
So. To keep up with putting the lists here, I give you the staples list:
- Salt, pepper, spices and herbs*:
- Marjoram
- Basil
- Oregano
- Parsley
- Garlic powder
- Onion powder
- Cinnamon
- Nutmeg
- Ginger
- Curry powder
- Coriander
- Sugar, creamer
- Coffee, tea, and hot chocolate mix
- Oatmeal, cream of rice
- Bisquick, flour
- Syrup, honey
- Emergency can-goods:
- Tuna
- Beans
- Chunky soups
- Ravioli
- ETA beef stew
- kippers
- mac’n'cheese
*Need small spice containers
Categories: Lists, SCA |
Tags: hobbies, lists, SCA | Comments Off
July 22nd, 2011
Okay, my husband sent this cool site to me, http://www.effingpot.com/ which is a glossary of Brit-speak for Americans. He apparently lived in Texas for awhile and used his experiences to write the list. It’s fairly exhaustive, but has some definite errors as well as assumptions that some of these words aren’t used by Americans, and have been for a very long time…since before the invasion of Britcoms, to be honest.
Here’s one that’s incorrect:
“Nark – If someone is in a nark, it means they are in a bad mood, or being grumpy. It’s also the word for a spy or informant.
For example a coppers nark is someone who is a police informant – which you might call a stoolie or stool-pigeon. The origin
is from the Romany word, nak, meaning “nose”.”
Now, I don’t know about the Romany (Gypsy) word nak. But the American slang word Nark or Narc comes from Undercover Narcotics Officer, usually someone who is masquerading as either a high school or college student. They would get friendly with dopers and their suppliers and then “narc” on them, or turn them in. So now to be a narc is to be yes, a stoolie or stool-pigeon: informant.
Here’s another:
“Shammy – I think you call these wash leathers. They are the completely useless cloths, originally made from the skin of the
chamois – a wild antelope, the size of a goat. They dry rigid and leave horrible streaks across the windows they are supposed to clean!”
I’ve never heard a chamois called “wash leathers” in my life. Maybe in North Carolina or some such place, but it’s a chamois (pronounced shammy). I wonder if he knows you’re supposed to rinse the thing out and then wring it very well before you use it? I’ve never had a problem with them streaking.
“Plaster board - Sheet rock in Texas. In the UK, plasterboard is used to make ceilings and is also used to make internal walls, it is
then covered in a thin layer of real plaster, except in cheap modern houses. In Texas, entire houses are made from sheet rock, which
is a bit worrying if it is windy or rainy! If the three little pigs had lived in Texas, they would have been eaten! In some states call it’s
called “plaster board” like it is here in the UK and others it’s called drywall.”
Okay, we do not make our entire house out of sheet rock or dry wall…heavens! The house is framed with wood, insulated and then various outside coverings are used, including adobe, hardi-plank, siding, brick, Austin stone…. Only the interior walls have sheet rock on them, and they’re still framed inside with 2x4s at the very least. Oy gevalt!
And he seems to think “sofa” is the only word we use for what they call a couch. Well, we use the word couch, a lot, along with sofa and divan. Although divan is not used quite so much anymore. It’s what my grandmother called her sofa. 
And he seems to have a problem figuring out why we call a restroom a restroom. That one might be a bit tougher, if you aren’t very old. They’re called that because back in the day, restrooms in nicer restaurants, hotels, theaters, and department stores had an outer room with a sofa and very often little sundries like mouthwash or lotion available, and they had an attendant. The attendant was there to watch your purse or briefcase while you went to the loo, and keep the place neat and clean all day long. You often left a tip in a little basket. So they really were places to rest as well as relieve yourself.
There are some under slang that we—at least I and my family—have used forever in the US:
To go on a bender means to basically go on a non-stop drinking spree; blast or blast it all; blinding; Bob’s your uncle; botch; cheeky; cram, for studying hard; dim to mean thick or stupid; and every cowboy called food “grub” in the westerns; haggle; hunky-dory, and in shambles are all examples.
“Piece of cake – I remember saying it’s a piece of cake in front of one of my American friends,
who then started looking around for the cake! It means it’s a cinch!”
Dunno what kind of dimwit friend he had, but we’ve used this forever. Means the same as “easy as pie,” or a “walk in the park.”
“Piss poor – If something is described as being “piss poor” it means it is an extremely poor attempt at something.”
Again, totally US term. Same here:
“Plastered – Another word for loaded. In other words you have had rather too much to drink down your local.
It has nothing to do with being covered with plaster though anything is possible when you are plastered.”
“Shitfaced – If you hear someone saying that they got totally shitfaced it means they were out on the town and
got steaming drunk. Normally attributed to stag nights or other silly events.”
Now here’s one we use but to us it means 6 of one, half a dozen of the other:
“Sixes and sevens – If something is all at sixes and sevens then it is in a mess, topsy turvy or somewhat haywire!”
Here’s a few that are definitely ones we’ve used for ages in the US:
“Sloshed – Yet another way to describe being drunk. Clearly we need a lot of ways to describe it since
getting plastered is a national pastime.”
“Twat – Another word used to insult someone who has upset you. Also means the same as fanny but is less
acceptable in front of your grandmother, as this refers to parts of the female anatomy. Another use for the
same word is to twat something, which would be to hit it hard. Get it right or I’ll twat you over the head!”
“Yakking – This means talking incessantly – not that I know anyone who does that now!”
“Zonked – If someone is zonked or “zonked out” it means they are totally knackered or you might say exhausted.
When a baby has drunk so much milk, his eyes roll into the back of his head, it would be fair to say he was zonked!”
I’m beginning to think that perhaps there are some of these that went to England some time ago, since I believe our TV went there before theirs came here, and 30 or 40 years ago entered the lexicon in the UK and he just ran into a great number of idjit Texans.
As for correcting our grammar…Not everyone in England is paragon of grammatical correctness, so stuff it.
Categories: Odds'n'ends, the intarwebs |
Tags: Things British, words | 1 Comment
