January 2nd, 2012
2012
Twenty-twelve.
It beleaguers the imagination.
I’ve been trying to figure out why this particular new year’s has been so devastatingly depressing. I mean…for a long time now, new year’s has been one of those days I try not to think about. Just another day, new date on the checks, etc., etc. You know, the new year…is. It’s just the inexorable march of time. One more year I can’t go back and salvage. And I ain’t gettin’ any younger, either. That’s a huge part of it, I know. I’ll be 60 this year.
60
SIX-ty.
Shit.
That, in and of itself is enough to make me want to jump off a bridge (if I weren’t afraid of heights). Part of the disconnect is that I do not feel 60, hell…I don’t feel 40, mentally. Physically, my body is a disaster zone. Physically, I feel like I’m 90 most days. All this BS about 50 is the new 30 and 70 is the new 40, or whatever…those spinners never lived in my body. 60 is the new 90. Bah!
Instead of chronicling what I feel the issues are (which sounds suspiciously like making excuses), I’m going to try to take a page out of the sunshine and lollipop spin and look at ways to make 2012 a better year. I mean, you know…just not sitting around being morose would make it a better year, right?
First up, I’m decluttering the house. It’s a gargantuan undertaking, but I’m gettin’ ‘er done, by gosh. In that vein, I’ve decluttered Mdme B’s space here. My previous theme mirrored the usual state of my desk (might have even been cleaner…but I’ll never tell), but I’ve noticed most of the well-read sites are simpler, with white backgrounds.
Before you get all mushy and think this is a list of resolutions, don’t. I don’t do resolutions. They set you up for failure. These are things I’ve already been working on or need to do anyway, new year or not. It just seems like a good time to trot out the list since one of the things I’d like to get in the habit of doing is actually, you know, like…USING my web site–what a novel idea. Which reminds me of another one on the list. Setting up a time to write, every day, same time. I might actually get that novel done before I really am 90.
Dump about 80-90 pounds. Didn’t say pounds of what, now did I? (Technically, I’ve already done this: in decluttering in the last couple of days, I’ve trashed, recycled, and donated well over 100 pounds of schtuff. HA!) But yeah…part of the feeling 90 thing is this extra couple of bags of mulch I’m carrying around. Hee. In order to clearly demonstrate what carrying weight on your body is like, I use the following analogy: you know those bags of garden dirt, compost, or mulch? Each one weighs 40 pounds. I can barely tote ONE of those around. And I’m carrying at least two on a small, 5’5″ frame that wasn’t intended to carry more than about 145 pounds at the most. TWO! No wonder my knees are going and my feet hurt so much. (218 when I last weighed myself at work before the winter break, if you MUST know.)
Another thing I’m going to try for is consistency. Juliet said something about the moon’s inconstant orb…but you know, the moon is rather consistent. Each month, she does the same thing, perpetually. I’m not sure I’d want to be quite that predictable–and boring–but one could do far worse than be as consistent as Lady Luna.
Getting back on track being a vegesaur. Several times over the holidays, whether it was just because I was tempted by some yummy-meat thing or because there really wasn’t anything else to eat in the house, I’ve had things to eat which I regretted later. Regretted either because of guilt or because they upset my system something fierce. This goes along with actually planning some meals, doing shopping, and cooking! Gah…I have a teenager, for crying out loud, and I rely on my husband to cook most of the meals, but he doesn’t make veggies and green things, so no one gets the nutrition they should. *slaps own hand*
One last thought on this is time spent on the computer. It is a very useful tool, when used properly, but I spend too much time on FB and playing games, and not enough time doing creative things with it. Posting projects and the like here will be a part of a renewed effort putting what little time I have left on this earth to good use. Believe it or not, I actually go days without checking FB, I don’t twitter, or Google-group…but I still manage to waste an inordinate amount of time on teh intarwebs. I love googling ideas, items, history, pictures, etc. THAT can really eat up time, lemmetellya.
So. I’m off to clean that other catbox, start a back-to-work-and-school washing marathon, finish scanning a kajillion photos for my boss (he’s paying me), bake two more loaves of banana bread, wash dishes and continue sorting and culling 20 years of crap that grew in my house and wonder if clutter is like mold or a fungus…does it spread by spores?
Categories: Self |
Tags: about me, aging, cleaning, clutter, lists, self-pity | 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 |
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July 22nd, 2011
I’ve decided on the Stuart Hall Executive Project Planner.
Okay, so, this shows how long I’ve had this notebook…a) there’s no web address on the back and b) apparently after having been purchased by Pen-Tab in 1998, Stuart Hall Co., Inc., was closed down in 2001.
O.O
And…I think Pen Tab Industries might have gone defunct, too. So, I guess this is a collector’s item now. ROFL. Best make good use of it.
This is the closest I can find on Amazon.
Or this
This is very close
Oooh..this one’s nice
Anyway…harrumph. On to organizing the lists. I need sections.
- SCA
- House
- Non-SCA sewing
- Non-SCA projects
These might end up being transferred to a loose-leaf binder, but for now, I’ll keep them in the spiral…or maybe an individual notebook for each. It’s not like I don’t have any spare notebooks. *kitty giggles*
Gah! You see, this is why I never get my act together, so many decisions!
Okay, so first list, subject to change, of course:
- 1. Kitchen Box (Rubbermaid ® Roughneck™) – Permanent items:
- Make cover
- ETA: Frying pan
- 2 pans/pots-get kind without the long handles, like this set right here
- Basin
- Drainer
- Bowls
- Spatula, spoons, knives, cutting board (wood), fork
- Colander
- Measuring cup
- Stove
- Grill for fire
- Dishcloth & brush
- Can opener
- Hotpads
- Hand towels, dish towels
- Lantern and/or flashlight
- Fly control (bonus: everything you never wanted to know about flies )
- Scent traps
- Tents for food
- 2. Kitchen Box – consumables
- Make cover
- Dish soap
- Bleach
- Matches/butane lighter
- Foil
- Trash bags
- Wipes
- Scrubbies
- Zip bags
- Glad-tainers
- Propane
- Paper towels/rags
- Sharpie
- Cadles
- Carrier bags
- Small laundry soap, baggie of dryer sheets, roll of quarters
- Lysol
- Fly strips
- Bug repellant
- Vinegar
Categories: Lists, SCA |
Tags: hobbies, lists, projects, SCA | Comments Off
July 22nd, 2011
Pursuant to the post about getting back in the SCA, I want to start a project book. I have one, a cheapie spiral that I made all sorts of lists in good gods…9 years ago?? *sighs* Has is really been that long ago? Where in Hades’ Funhouse does it go? I don’t really think it’s been that long ago for some of it…I hope.
Okay, so, let’s see, here are the list titles, I’ll get to the individual lists later:
- Kitchen box (make cover) [the kitchen box is a Rubbermaid® Roughneck™, as are a lot of our camping boxes, so they need covers to hide the “mundanity”]
- Permanent Items
- Consumable Items
- Food box – staples
- Feastbox – regular event items
- Feastbox – court event items
- General Equipment
- Banners
- Coolers
- Tent
- Tool Kit
- Light Box
- Stake Box
- Pavilion
- Bedding
- X3 Minimum Costumes – summer
- X3 Minimum Costumes – not summer [it IS Texas, after all]
- X2? Armor
- X3 Costume Projects to Finish [well, they WERE to finish, but now to start]
- X3 Mundane Clothing/Equipment/Sundries
- Other Projects to Finish
- War List! [for Gulf War during Spring Break]
And that’s just what I have in the spiral.
Now..before I go any farther, I want to replace the spiral with a different kind of notebook. Still a spiral but different. I could supply a small office supply store with the stash of paper, pens, spirals, binders, clips, hi-liters, etc that I have. No. Really. So, here’s the list of new SCA project notebook candidates:
- Pen-tab Project Planner – 7.25 w x 9.5 h, Lined, numbered, with a blank notes section on the right hand side.
- Cambridge, top-bound, ¼” graph paper
- 2, count them! 2 Bienfang Note Sketch Book – standard size, a little less than half of the page is lined, on the left, and the right is all blank. I already have a couple projects in one of these.
- Cambridge Executive planner pages – standard size, top spiral, roughly the top two-thirds is ¼” graph paper, the bottom is yellow and lined “Quick Notes”
- Off-brand Notes/Sketch Book – 11×9” drawing weight paper, one-sided, top less than half blank for sketching, bottom lined.
- Stuart Hall Executive Project Planner – standard size, narrow blank notes section on the left, lined on the right. So far, this one is my front-runner.
I shall sleep on it. Night.
Categories: SCA |
Tags: hobbies, lists, Organization, projects, SCA | Comments Off
