Blog Archives
Musings from the laundromat: Black Friday edition
It’s a rare day today – the second in a row that I haven’t had to go to work. Well, not to the building that pays me anyway.
I woke at 5 am, with Butters breathing in my face. I could feel her staring at me and confirmed it by peeking under my lashes at her very close face.
Let’s chat about Butters a second, because after I got up, let her out, switched the coffee on and went back to bed – I found the most hilarious photo posted to my Facebook wall.
I had shared some Thanksgiving photos and put one of my canine manatee up last night.
This one to be precise.
There was a comment and an altered photo from my son’s girlfriend Chelsea. If you’re familiar with the Doge meme, you’ll find it as hilarious as I did (I still insist on pronouncing ‘Doge’ like ‘vogue’ not ‘Doje’ with the ‘j’ sound the internet has declared to be correct. Such Shibe. Much there’s an ‘e’ on the end – pronounce the vowel as it is in the alphabet!)
Anyway – meme grammar tangent.
Here’s the doctored photo:
SO funny.
I already loved Chelsea, but it’s sealed now.
Anyway – so I’m laughing in bed at ‘Are-you-freaking-kidding-me O’Clock’ and decide to take advantage of this extra day off and finish preparing for my guest.
I grabbed a cup of coffee – made a list (no, I didn’t check it twice Nic) which didn’t have too much on it, but I knew had to go to the bank and get a money order to pay my rent and decided the best place to go was right next to it – Walmart.
It didn’t occur to me, until after I was showered and dressed and determined – that it was Black Friday.
A fun fact about me – once I’ve decided on something, I will not change my mind. I will not wait. I will go about accomplishing whatever it is I’ve decided to accomplish, no matter what. (This has resulted in tattoos, a nose piercing and a Vegas wedding.)
Some people call me stubborn.
Some people would be very right. (Such stubborn. Much pig-headed.)
Bottom line, I was GOING to Walmart – Black Friday stampedes be damned.
Traffic wasn’t bad as I left the house at about 8:15. Hit green lights most of the way and a good amount of tension left my stubborn shoulders. Even watched a coyote cross the road. (No, I don’t know why – probably he was following the chicken.)
Pulled into the shopping center – and realized the bank wasn’t open yet.
Okay – Walmart first.
I’ve never been to Walmart on Black Friday. I’ve heard the tales – read the stories about trampled people and broken limbs – shopping shenanigans. So I was bracing myself and when I approached the store …
Okay, it wasn’t that empty. But I easily found a parking spot, a cart, and this claustrophobic shopper was quite comfortable inside.
No mayhem!
I was in and out in 15 minutes with only the items on my list. I did spy some Black Friday queuing in the electronics department – that was fun. I walked by and looked upon them with amusement. Much as you would an exhibit at a museum or a fair.
(Such shoppers. So Savvy. Much money savers.)
One of my best friends works at the bank – so I got a hug as she opened the door for the half-dozen people waiting outside. Things were going so smoothly!
Drove to the property management company, money order in hand. Popped that into their drop box and headed home.
Green lights. Nice commute. Wow.
I was still in determined mode when I got home. AND somehow had energy to back my plans with action.
Lit a candle, put on some Christmas music and went to work.
Cleaned out the fridge, scrubbed the floor, bathed the dog(e), cleaned the tub – then the rest of the main bathroom. Went through the pantry – even washed the little salt and pepper shaker.
7 hours after having Butter breath in my face, I was still motivated enough to gather the laundry and come here.
And here I am.
Breezing through Black Friday like a pro and stubbornly accomplishing more than one person has a right to accomplish without a cape and an alter ego.
Am wondering though, what the hell this restless girl is going to do all weekend!
Because it won’t be this:
Musings from the laundromat: Wishful Cleaning Edition
Leaving my bed was difficult this morning – but if I wanted any sort of ‘weekend’ I knew the last of the chores had to be finished.
I’ve been cleaning since I got home Friday – which resulted in a wounded foot, me having to iron, and approximately 5 garbage bags full of things I was never going to throw away.
I’m still not done.
I’m not an unclean person – or an untidy one for that matter – I’m just not home long enough to prove otherwise to my satisfaction.
Couple that with the fact that I went from almost 2000 square feet plus a two car garage to about … 10 square feet and no garage, and you can see my dilemma.
So now there is a possibility that someone is coming to visit – I entered panic mode.
I actually asked my son’s girlfriend “What do you notice about the house? How would you describe it?”
There were no wrong answers, and I was not going to be offended. It is what it is. The small home I live in now was definitely a ‘material’ step down, but it was what I could afford at the time and definitely a ‘happiness’ step UP.
“It’s … cozy, but can be messy.”
“Where? Where can it be messy?” I asked as I cut my eyes over to my son, who really should be helping more.
“The kitchen.”
She’s right. First of all, the house is cozy. People feel at home in my home. I’ve heard ‘cozy’ before. That’s good.
As for the kitchen. Everyone has ‘that’ counter that keys, paperwork, mail, jackets get flung upon. That happens at our place too – except, we don’t have counters. So the dining room table we never sit at, is usually littered with such things.
As for the ‘laundry room’ that became the garage. Holiday boxes, cleaning supplies, battery chargers, crock pots, computer monitors, computer towers – everything too large to be anywhere else, ended up there.
It really shouldn’t bother me – people who love me aren’t going to judge me by my home, but come on! Even when you have relatives coming don’t you prepare by doing the crazy cleaning?
So crazy cleaning is still in progress.
Being at the laundromat almost feels like a vacation today.
Musings from the Laundromat: Website Edition
I got here later than usual – and as a result, I have a lot more company.
I am at a table completely foreign to me – exposed in the middle of the room. I prefer to face the door with no one behind me. I don’t like the sensation that someone could be reading over my shoulder. (Which is odd when you consider that what I’m writing I publish for all to see.)
I am finding myself even missing the giant rainbow umbrella table!
I am in uncharted laundry waters.
Here is my view:
Have to say, I much prefer my laundry basket to those in front of me:
Back to uncharted waters.
I spent most of yesterday and the night – creating a website. At this point, as I sit at my strange little exposed table I am feeling bonkers.com
Other than this site, I have never created a website before – and when it is for something as important as the subject I was presenting, the stress multiplies.
Somehow, with the help of clickable question marks and trial and error – I got it up and running.
Of course, there is always tweaking to be done. Things you notice the next day when your eyes and brain have rested.
After getting more feedback and translations from Rainer, I went back to the desk and edited.
You know, there are some words that can turn your blood to ice in your veins, and I can testify that some of those words are: “Unable to Save.”
After my initial palpitations and cursing in my head – I switched to logical mode and tried to solve the problem.
Shut down, restart. Nope. Try Chrome instead of Firefox. Nope. Update Chrome because you’ve been ignoring all the ‘update’ messages for a very long time now. Nope. Shut down, restart again.
I came to the conclusion that the issue must be with the site and not with me. And I am hoping this is not an indication of their servers. The domain is claimed – the site created – so if editing is a recurring problem, that will not be good. I will have to take the domain name elsewhere.
Without further ado: I now present to you, in all it’s ‘not completely edited’ glory:
http://www.daserbedeskommandanten.com
In all seriousness – it is the website for Rainer’s book. It will be available next year in English. The German version is available now.
It is so VERY important that we do not forget! History has a way of repeating itself, personally and globally, when we do not learn from the past!
The book recounts the past and answers frequently asked questions of ‘how’ and ‘why’ Rainer continues to do what he does.
Speaking out against your family for the right reasons is brave – and good.
As I said to Rainer: ‘Remember, there is such GOOD.’
And I am humbled and honored to have had the opportunity to play a small part in it.
Musings from the Laundromat: Saturday Edition
Yes, Saturday!
Insert dramatic music and shocked face here. Or, a dramatic chipmunk will do:
I am still determined to get two entire days in a row of pure movie-watching, snack-eating, guilt-free nap-if-I-want-to debauchery. But, since I’m the kind of person who can’t sit still – it’s doubtful that will happen even with the opportunity.
I was going to name this post: Random nonsense – until I realized that could be the title of all my other posts (except the interviews.)
First random thing – as I drove here, I did have my reservations about switching up my routine. Would my table be open? What about my washing machines I like to use? Would the place be mobbed? Then I chuckled at the last thought – it IS Saturday after all, and other people have things that they do – outside of the house – for fun.
The place is pretty empty – but my table is taken. I’m at the umbrella table. But, on the upside, the umbrella table is right next to the washing machines I like to use, and they were available. Color me … um … happy, but not as happy as this umbrella:
Actual view when I look up
There’s something I’ve been meaning to share (and this is when the men who read my blog might want to go do something else. Wait – there I go being sexist again! Men could want beautiful hair! Sorry guys.) I have been meaning to share it because us ladies know that when it comes to products that actually work and live up to their claims, they are few and far between.
I found something that exceeded my expectations – and it’s only fair to pass on the good news.
AND … it’s cheap.
Here’s the product:
No, I’m not being paid for this testimonial. (I wish – but I wouldn’t sell out on here) I would never endorse a product I hadn’t tried and loved. But try and love this pair I did. 🙂
The shampoo has little beads in it – they burst and lather and the smell is amazing. After I rinse, my hair is literally ‘squeaky-clean’. It’s prepped and ready for the conditioner. Usually when you don’t pay an insane amount of money on a conditioner – you can tell as soon as you squeeze some into your hand. Not this one. It’s thick – and rinses out leaving the hair feeling almost like you used a sulfate free, more expensive kind.
I have naturally wavy hair – so I straighten it quite a bit when I’m not in a curly mood. As a result, I have some split ends. The very first time I used the shampoo and conditioner – my hair looked amazing. And not weighted down. Light, soft, smooth. Here’s me being smug with my freshly washed hair:
Anyway – get it.
I’ll wrap this up with some Butters. With time on my hands, I’ve been annoying the hell out of her. Taking so many photos and chatting to her, expecting an answer. Here she was being adorable before I left with her ‘baby’:
And here she is giving me an increasingly common look. “Get out of my face with the camera.”
I say no. I’m staying in that wrinkly, adorable face.
But, lucky for her, I’ll be occupied after I get home indulging in some arts and crafts. I’ll be pulling out the clay and the paint today – I’ll share the results in another ‘Random nonsense’ post.
Until then Happy Saturday everyone!
Breaking News: My table just opened up. I shall be relocating. I sit with my back to the wall like a cop. Like to keep an eye on the place … never know when a sock might try to make a break for it.
Musings from the Laundromat: Vultures and Sleeping Dogs edition
Ah Sunday.
I stayed up until 2 in the morning last night completing a side job I’d committed myself to. It helped that The Breakfast Club was on.
Some of my favorite dialogue from that movie:
John Bender: YOU ARE A BITCH.
Claire Standish: Why? ‘Cause I’m telling the truth, that makes me a bitch?
John Bender: NO. ‘Cause you know how shitty that is to do someone, and you don’t got the balls to stand up to your friends and tell them you’re gonna like who you wanna like.
Yeah! Go John! But, Claire was just being honest.
I digress.
I stayed up late and mentioned online that I could sleep in. A friend pointed out that I wouldn’t. True. This is true. I awoke at 7-ish.
Not so much the dog – she was sleeping in.
For her to stay still for a photo op is a feat, for her to stay still with her eyes closed is a freaking phenomenon, so I’ll share the moment.
I decided to let sleeping dogs lie and gather the laundry.
I live on a dirt road – in the desert. As I turned left onto the paved road, something caught my eye to my right.
I checked my rear view mirror and spotted the eye catchers.
Vultures.
A U-turn was in order.
I could not let a moment like that pass without being photographed.
I pulled up next to them as ninja-like as I could in a PT Cruiser and turned off the car, and waited.
And waited.
And wished I had my ‘real’ camera.
And wished I had my tripod.
And waited.
I began to feel the vulture’s frustration as car after car came along to keep them away from the kill.
The kill by the way, was a rabbit. Well, part of a rabbit. It was mostly the head and some torso … a leg was about a foot away from it. (No pun intended)
Every time a car came along, I looked away … I didn’t want to see it run over. My stomach can only stomach so much.
At last a brave vulture decided, ‘screw this – I’m getting the rabbit’ and swooped majestically down and took hold of the carcass in its beak.
And I wished again that I had my camera.
Vultures are an awesome sight to behold. They’re HUGE and gorgeous.
I did not do them justice with my ipad – but you use what you have.
Here’s what I have:
Circling the kill
The brave vulture telling the not so brave vulture to back off.
Success!
“Talk to the wing!” Didn’t that latecomer ever read ‘The Little Red Hen’? Probably he’s eaten one … but everyone should read ‘The Little Red Hen’.
You don’t get something for nothing people.
Got to help plant, harvest and bake if you want that bread. Or, get off your telephone pole if you want rabbit.
Debauchery Soup 