I have been a bit down lately and I am trying to focus on the small good things in life so let’s all share the small good things that happen.
Constant Comment tea
I rarely drink tea during the summer but in this fall weather it just tastes perfect
@mossygreen Oh, people get scared of Aldi. It’s a different way of shopping. I tell all my new prospective converts to go at least three times before they decide they don’t like it. I wonder if I need to start handing out quarters for them too
@OldCatLady I hadn’t planned on painting the inside. I’m struggling to get the outside done before the weather gets too cold. Also, I hate heights and standing on a ladder terrifies me.
@sligett Wow, that’s purty darn fancy. I should have had you come over and help me with mine.
I’m just slapping some antique ivory colored paint on it (very pale yellow) and hoping I never have to get on a ladder again. Of course since my shed has never been painted, I’m having to prime it and then paint with two coats.
The trim on mine is cedar, so I’m using an oil based primer (yuck) to seal it. Bathing in turpentine is not my idea of fun.
There will be a light frost tonight. It will help encourage the trees to turn, and accentuate the reds and golds in the leaves. I love the changing of the seasons, and the first frost, arriving at an appropriate time, is a pleasant sign that things are continuing on as they should.
I have my precious and amazing second cup of coffee, and it’s delicious.
I bought a new washer yesterday, and they’ll be delivering and installing it today (it’s a Speed Queen, and yes, that’s what I wanted, and I’m really happy about it).
I’ll dig carrots later in the afternoon, and I may even work up the enthusiasm to wash the windows (it’s a two story house, and lots of work, but it still needs doing).
The sun is shining, and it’s going to be a lovely day.
@Shrdlu I still feel a guilty thrill when I buy new appliances, raised as I was to believe everything could be repaired and ‘make do’. Enjoy your new toy.
@Shrdlu A Speed Queen? Lucky!
Speed Queen washers get clothing squeaky clean says my youngest. My dad has one at the cabin. I’ve been wanting one in the worst way ever since we purchased this tree-hugger no agitator water conserving piece of FOD a few years ago. Clothes just don’t look or feel CLEAN.
@LaVikinga I’ve had not one, not two, but THREE of those stupid HE things. I hated them all, for differing reasons, but the one thing they all had in common is that they didn’t get everything CLEAN.
I replaced the last HE with an “inexpensive” washer with an agitator. After washing the first load that happened to have towels and washcloths in it, and then drying them, and then putting them back in the stack, I was horrified to see the difference in the appearance. I have white towels and washcloths…except the ones still in the linen closet were gray in comparison to the ones I’d just washed. Ewwwwww! I resisted the temptation to rewash everything, but it was very hard.
I’m about to replace my dryer, which is 11 years old, and still working fine, with a Speed Queen. Just because.
@LaVikinga And this is why I will never get rid of my 1983 Kenmore washer and dryer. Each has only had to be fixed once, although the washer is in need of something -bearings perhaps.
@Kidsandliz We bought a Kenmore Washer & Dryer pair in 1982. The pair lasted for decades, holding up through duty station moves and three kids (a set of twins for EXTRA dirt!). I mourned the day that washer died. We’re on our third washer and we HATE the thing. Takes FOREVER, doesn’t clean worth a damn, and manages to get unbalanced with only a single blanket or set of sheets.
I’m seriously tempted to order a Speed Queen and Craig’s List this current machine.
(We’re finally on our second dryer. Darned thing is too low to the ground and too deep for tall me. It’s like crawling into a low cave to pull things out, but it doesn’t cook the clothes like the 40 year old Speed Queen Dryer up at the cabin. I have a love/hate relationship with it. It dries almost too well, if you can imagine such a thing.) @Shrdlu, If you don’t mind saying, which model did you end up getting?
@LaVikinga I don’t mind saying at all. I originally wanted the AWN432SP (mechanical controls), but then ended up with AWNE82SP (digital controls) because the price was only $50 more, and the warranty was FIVE years instead of THREE. I have had to restrain myself with not coming up with reasons to wash random things that do NOT need washing, because newmachine (but it’s hard).
I will probably end up getting the Speed Queen dryer, once the new has worn off the washer just a bit. To forestall the inevitable question, it’s ADEE8RGS (that’s the electric dryer; gas dryers are vanishingly rare in my area, as are houses with natural gas piped in).
@Shrdlu I’ve been looking really hard at them today. I definitely want mechanical controls. Husband volunteered that the sales tax in the state north of us is less than half of what ours is. Might just have to fire the ol’ pick up truck and take a drive this weekend.
@cranky1950 Some day I’ll introduce you to Frank and Fox (Whisker Tango Foxtrot). Frank likes to chew on the kitchen drawer pulls & baseboard corners. Fox likes chewing on anything plastic, mainly ziploc bags and the handle to the cat litte boxes. Fox also has a thing for new leather shoes. He’ll roll around on them like they were infused with catnip. Neither one of them enjoy a laser pointer with as much enthusiasm as those dopey dogs of mine.
The American eagle 24 hour nest cams near me are back online, and the nestbuilding is proceeding apace. The female usually lays 2 eggs in November. I watched the DC cams this spring, and got completely hooked. https://www.eagles.org/eagle-nest-cams/romeo-juliet/
/giphy "eagle nestcam"
We finally got a fence in the backyard so our dog can run off-leash (50 lb rescue dog afraid of everything so he’s always been on-leash outside to avoid him bolting when scared - even a box left by UPS on the porch has him cower and creep away like Scooby-Doo).
And our older teen is tall, lanky, has a chin scruff most days and eats EVERYTHING. So we have Shaggy in the house too.
@f00l i don’t get cats: wouldnt the box edge be cutting into his neck? I get snug and comfy, but not the box edge issue. But it still made me happy: i love “testing the water” with the front paws then nonchalant addition of each back paw.
@mollama
Maru is almost here certainly the most popular cat on YouTube. Maru has a serious thing regarding boxes and obstacles. There are now many years’ worth of short, minimalist videos starring Maru, who upends the trad interpretation of Sisyphus and conquers all objects in the universe.
Also Maru’s and Hana’s owners have an incredibly clean and unbelievably orderly beautiful and minimalist home. I am intimidated by the aesthetic and the housekeeping.
@ELUNO@kidsandliz Ok I know that the ballon pic was probably done as a Lane memorial but OMG how hilarious is the idea of Rebel being lifted by kiddy balloons. I laughed so so hard at this bizzarr idea
Fyi Kid parade of sail is tomorrow
Fyi Eluno thanks. ♡ xoxo
@OldCatLady Photos are from the Fells Point (Baltimore) to Norfolk Schooner Race. Race starts Thursday, schooners are in town now (Fells Point end). Both of us have sailed in that, helped with that and know the founder of that. Had I any money I’d be there rather than here and hitch a working ride on one of the boats.
@dashcloud My place is nowhere near cool enough for that. And my neighborhood is too, um, ‘hood’, for the HGTV crowd, methinks. It’s not as bad as the cinderblock shack I lived in, or the walk-in closet I once rented, but it doesn’t have that hipster quality to it.
@Kidsandliz
Yeah. If I were rich I might hire @HemlockTea to help me pretend to be productive while actually procrastinating.
@HemlockTea, pls give us some links to some of your online resources and blogs.
Plus, how did you resolve my worst dilemma? “But I really really really wanna own and collect all these things, even tho I never look at them or use them?”
That one bedevils me. And I so far have not made myself come to terms.
Why, exactly, don’t I have a robot slave? I forget? What, they don’t exist yet? Fuck.
Oh yeah, once we get them, don’t they always wind up wanting power or freedom or both? Crap.
Whining and moaning and bitching while expecting less than zero sympathy could be one of life’s simple pleasures, if you look at it just right. Sigh.
@f00l If you want to own and collect them, own and collect them. If it makes you happy, then keep them. Put them on display if you can, so you can smile more often when you see them, or put them in a box and bring them out regularly to enjoy.
With me, I had a bunch of clutter built up due to my depression. A lot of old paper when I could manage to make it to the mailbox but didn’t have the strength to deal with the actual mail. Stuff I bought to cheer me up a little but ended up making things worse by being another thing in a pile collecting dust.
The key is recognizing the things that you use and the things that make you happy, and discarding the rest. It’s a long, slow process, and might be painful due to emotions attached to the objects (guilt for spending the money on it, anxiety over a relationship it’s related to, etc.), but be kind and nonjudgmental to yourself. If the clutter is not due to an emotional issue, just take baby steps and deal with small amounts at a time.
As for resources, I like the processes presented by Clear & Simple. I listen to the audiobook version of their systems (Get Organized the Clear and Simple Way- both my city and county libraries have the audiobook in their e-collections). Basically you start just by sorting things into categories (Read, Action, File, Toss), and those categories can be into containers to deal with later as you have time, so it doesn’t look messy but you don’t have to make any decisions on what you want to keep until you are ready to. Then when you are ready to start making decisions, you sort each category further.
For blogs, I mostly just skim things for visual inspiration and also for an “I’m not alone” feeling. For the latter A Slob Comes Clean is hilarious and she shows you before pictures of the chaos in her house, which I really like.
A difficult bronze casting ring came out perfectly today. My two previous pours were not successes, so it was nice for this one to have come out perfectly. Here’s a photo of it in wax. Still doing sprue cleanup on the final piece.
@CaptAmehrican Dragons scare me (even ones with purple wings), but @moondrake used to show us some photos of her jewelry over at Deals. Her creations are really unique and very beautiful.
I presume they are doing the position map tracking as usual during the race…
If anyone on meh wants to track their progress - race starts tomorrow) I am pretty sure this is the url: http://www.baltimoremarinecenters.com/about-bmc/schooner-race-tracking.aspx (for everyone who might be interested pick 2016 from the drop down to get the right year’s race. Pretty funny as right now the trackers must all be in a building since it shows all the boats on land LOL)
If you see (and aren’t too busy) the AJ Meerwald while you are out on the water could you take a pic?
@CaptAmehrican Hope the party was FUN (sob). I am not familiar with that boat.
Also if you were going to do the meh exchange on that thread you are listed as only partly signing up. Might want to put whatever code word you put on the form on the thread or fill in whatever the heck you are missing in that chaos.
@CaptAmehrican Somebody (says Principles) has a tracker on board as it is showing up on the feed. Must be either docked or anchored as it is showing 0 knots. Maybe you can stow away and call in sick?
@ELUNO you are welcome to mail me anything except spiders.
Re meh exchange i told her I’m out. All the rules and code words I have no idea and I know I can’t follow the rules. I have not bought enough from meh. The chaos of that thread took all the fun away so no irk drawings.
P.s. no snakes either
Looks like they are about 1/3 of the way down the bay (see the link I provided earlier) right now. Most boats are sailing at speeds of 5 or 6 knots or so.
@ELUNO I just looked (8:27am central) - the first and second boats are just now going past the Navy base. They will be there in under an hour. Two are at the Hampton Roads bridge tunnel, a couple right behind them, and the rest are strung out where some have a ways to go. Of course then the times have to be adjusted for the boat to see who actually won.
@rv617 What a beauty! I had a lovely conversation with an Irish terrier at the vet’s office this week. She didn’t bounce, yap, try to go see other dogs, or misbehave. I asked her if she wanted to go home with me, and she was agreeable, but her owner said no. I talk to dogs, and cats, and the occasional horse. Nice people.
@ELUNO I’m assuming it’s color settings differences. I’ve seen a plant like this in person, and it doesn’t look purple to me. Maybe that’s clouding my vision.
@RiotDemon
Wow so many comments! I took the pic because of the beautiful fuzzy purple tall things. No i idea what it is - that is a commercially landscaped corporate building.
Celebrating small joys is going to be my mantra. I’m going to start doing chair yoga again, and I just ordered an aromatherapy machine from MorningSave. Recent stresses and events need to be offset.
At work, they provide good, locally-made bagels on Friday mornings.
I’m burning a peppermint martini candle today. It smells nice.
Aldi has pumpkin spice dish-washing soap.
@therealjrn Aldi has ENORMOUS PUMPKINS at a very reasonable price!
@mossygreen I saw those!
@therealjrn They are a really good deal! I keep on telling people to go buy them, but no one I know will. I blame the squirrels.
@mossygreen Oh, people get scared of Aldi. It’s a different way of shopping. I tell all my new prospective converts to go at least three times before they decide they don’t like it. I wonder if I need to start handing out quarters for them too
In the mornings in October, the air is so clear that everything looks better than it would on the best ultra HD screen.
I made cookies yesterday and didn’t burn them.
@hollboll And you didn’t share?
@hollboll Did you test each one to make sure?
@Barney I shared with @dalek!
@oldcatlady, you know it!
How about (excluding persons who assert otherwise in their lives) - we mostly have friends who don’t/won’t quit?
Speaker Docks… Amazing inventions!
@sohmageek
Hear hear!
It is finally cold enough to not feel guilty for using the self-(destruct) clean option on the oven!!!
My new coconut & papaya soap.
Bad puns
“How much does a hipster weigh? An Instagram.”
@f00l Please add +41 stars to the above count. It would only let me add one.
@DaveInSoCal
Ok that internet-thang is out of its cage now. Beware.
Calling @narfcake
"Are cats empathetic because they’re feel-ines?"
@DaveInSoCal @f00l
Done.
@PlacidPenguin
Can’t stop now.
“Her: I’m leaving you. Me: Because of the ancient Roman literature puns? Her: Yah. Me: But Aeneid you.”
@f00l
@PlacidPenguin
For these puns, I would, just this once, forgive a few downvotes.
“I’m always on time with my jokes. I guess you could say I’m pretty pun-ctual.”
@PlacidPenguin
I know you all really really want more, right? You can’t weight?
“I’d tell you a chemistry joke but I know I wouldn’t get a reaction.”
@f00l
How did you all get thru yesterday without a cringe-pun?
“I think there are about 1-2 million baseball fields in the world, but that’s just a ballpark number.”
The weather is going to top off at 84° today.
It’s a beautiful day for painting my new shed. (That’s the best I could think of.)
@Barney Purple?
@narfcake Oh heavens, no. I’d be run out of the neighborhood if I did.
@Barney
Are you saying that there are other colors besides purple?
@Barney Can it be purple inside?
@OldCatLady I hadn’t planned on painting the inside. I’m struggling to get the outside done before the weather gets too cold. Also, I hate heights and standing on a ladder terrifies me.
@Barney
/image painters extension pole
@RiotDemon Better yet, why don’t you come over and paint my shed for me?
@Barney
/image tom sawyer whitewashing a fence
@Barney
I want to paint your shed for you.
You could even blindfold me and knock me unconscious so that I have no clue where I am.
@Barney I’ll be right over.
Where do you live again?
@RiotDemon PlacidPenguin I live in the land of Oz. Just look for a shed that looks like this:
Be careful, it’s very windy here today.
@Barney I painted the public-facing sides of our shed this spring. I think it looks pretty good:
@Barney Now I understand why you have never been the same since your house fell on that sister. LOL
@sligett Wow, that’s purty darn fancy. I should have had you come over and help me with mine.
I’m just slapping some antique ivory colored paint on it (very pale yellow) and hoping I never have to get on a ladder again. Of course since my shed has never been painted, I’m having to prime it and then paint with two coats.
The trim on mine is cedar, so I’m using an oil based primer (yuck) to seal it. Bathing in turpentine is not my idea of fun.
Edit: My shed’s bigger than yours.
There will be a light frost tonight. It will help encourage the trees to turn, and accentuate the reds and golds in the leaves. I love the changing of the seasons, and the first frost, arriving at an appropriate time, is a pleasant sign that things are continuing on as they should.
I have my precious and amazing second cup of coffee, and it’s delicious.
I bought a new washer yesterday, and they’ll be delivering and installing it today (it’s a Speed Queen, and yes, that’s what I wanted, and I’m really happy about it).
I’ll dig carrots later in the afternoon, and I may even work up the enthusiasm to wash the windows (it’s a two story house, and lots of work, but it still needs doing).
The sun is shining, and it’s going to be a lovely day.
@Shrdlu
Sounds like a perfect season for dreaming - and seeing - in color.
@Shrdlu I still feel a guilty thrill when I buy new appliances, raised as I was to believe everything could be repaired and ‘make do’. Enjoy your new toy.
@Shrdlu A Speed Queen? Lucky!
Speed Queen washers get clothing squeaky clean says my youngest. My dad has one at the cabin. I’ve been wanting one in the worst way ever since we purchased this tree-hugger no agitator water conserving piece of FOD a few years ago. Clothes just don’t look or feel CLEAN.
@LaVikinga I’ve had not one, not two, but THREE of those stupid HE things. I hated them all, for differing reasons, but the one thing they all had in common is that they didn’t get everything CLEAN.
I replaced the last HE with an “inexpensive” washer with an agitator. After washing the first load that happened to have towels and washcloths in it, and then drying them, and then putting them back in the stack, I was horrified to see the difference in the appearance. I have white towels and washcloths…except the ones still in the linen closet were gray in comparison to the ones I’d just washed. Ewwwwww! I resisted the temptation to rewash everything, but it was very hard.
I’m about to replace my dryer, which is 11 years old, and still working fine, with a Speed Queen. Just because.
@LaVikinga And this is why I will never get rid of my 1983 Kenmore washer and dryer. Each has only had to be fixed once, although the washer is in need of something -bearings perhaps.
@Kidsandliz We bought a Kenmore Washer & Dryer pair in 1982. The pair lasted for decades, holding up through duty station moves and three kids (a set of twins for EXTRA dirt!). I mourned the day that washer died. We’re on our third washer and we HATE the thing. Takes FOREVER, doesn’t clean worth a damn, and manages to get unbalanced with only a single blanket or set of sheets.
I’m seriously tempted to order a Speed Queen and Craig’s List this current machine.
(We’re finally on our second dryer. Darned thing is too low to the ground and too deep for tall me. It’s like crawling into a low cave to pull things out, but it doesn’t cook the clothes like the 40 year old Speed Queen Dryer up at the cabin. I have a love/hate relationship with it. It dries almost too well, if you can imagine such a thing.)
@Shrdlu, If you don’t mind saying, which model did you end up getting?
@LaVikinga I don’t mind saying at all. I originally wanted the AWN432SP (mechanical controls), but then ended up with AWNE82SP (digital controls) because the price was only $50 more, and the warranty was FIVE years instead of THREE. I have had to restrain myself with not coming up with reasons to wash random things that do NOT need washing, because new machine (but it’s hard).
I will probably end up getting the Speed Queen dryer, once the new has worn off the washer just a bit. To forestall the inevitable question, it’s ADEE8RGS (that’s the electric dryer; gas dryers are vanishingly rare in my area, as are houses with natural gas piped in).
@Shrdlu I’ve been looking really hard at them today. I definitely want mechanical controls. Husband volunteered that the sales tax in the state north of us is less than half of what ours is. Might just have to fire the ol’ pick up truck and take a drive this weekend.
I have a cat and a laser pointer.
@cranky1950
http://shirt.woot.com/offers/pondering-lifes-biggest-mysteries
@cranky1950 I have to mini-Aussies and a laser pointer. More better.
@LaVikinga Nah,˙ cats dont eat the woodwork when there’s nothing else to do.
@cranky1950 Some day I’ll introduce you to Frank and Fox (Whisker Tango Foxtrot). Frank likes to chew on the kitchen drawer pulls & baseboard corners. Fox likes chewing on anything plastic, mainly ziploc bags and the handle to the cat litte boxes. Fox also has a thing for new leather shoes. He’ll roll around on them like they were infused with catnip. Neither one of them enjoy a laser pointer with as much enthusiasm as those dopey dogs of mine.
The American eagle 24 hour nest cams near me are back online, and the nestbuilding is proceeding apace. The female usually lays 2 eggs in November. I watched the DC cams this spring, and got completely hooked. https://www.eagles.org/eagle-nest-cams/romeo-juliet/
/giphy "eagle nestcam"
@OldCatLady Thank you for this link.
I have lots of people who love me. No matter how down I get, that’s what keeps me going.
edit: Also, I know where my towel is.
@DaveInSoCal
Then you have no reason ever to Panic.
@DaveInSoCal But do you have deodorant?
We finally got a fence in the backyard so our dog can run off-leash (50 lb rescue dog afraid of everything so he’s always been on-leash outside to avoid him bolting when scared - even a box left by UPS on the porch has him cower and creep away like Scooby-Doo).
And our older teen is tall, lanky, has a chin scruff most days and eats EVERYTHING. So we have Shaggy in the house too.
@mollama I had a rescued Border Collie who was like that. It does get better, but there are some fears that never go away.
/image scared scooby-doo
Maru and Hana and a box
@f00l i don’t get cats: wouldnt the box edge be cutting into his neck? I get snug and comfy, but not the box edge issue. But it still made me happy: i love “testing the water” with the front paws then nonchalant addition of each back paw.
@mollama
Maru is almost here certainly the most popular cat on YouTube. Maru has a serious thing regarding boxes and obstacles. There are now many years’ worth of short, minimalist videos starring Maru, who upends the trad interpretation of Sisyphus and conquers all objects in the universe.
Also Maru’s and Hana’s owners have an incredibly clean and unbelievably orderly beautiful and minimalist home. I am intimidated by the aesthetic and the housekeeping.
@mollama I don’t either; I love catshirts, but I love doggies even more.
/giphy liquid cat
@narfcake That cat has no bones. I had been waiting for it to be stuck head down in there with face smashed against the edge LOL
Would a complete random internet stranger hitting on you help?!? Well hello there!
On a more serious note: Being able to stealthily watch today’s soccer match at work!
@ELUNO being hit on always makes me feel pretty.
@CaptAmehrican But you don’t need to be hit on for that!
Not sure this is right for this moment (pls forgive if it’s a bit off the mood you want):
On certain days, bittersweet ones, I’ve listened to this version of this song:
Landslide
@f00l This is my third favorite version of this song. I freaking love this song.
It’s been awhile since we had pretty pictures.
Getting mostly caught up on grading and not running out of chocolate while doing it. (Procrastinating grading is my best skill. I hate grading).
@Kidsandliz Aaahhh…a little darker and we could follow the moonpath.
@OldCatLady only with the diesel on - no wind
@Kidsandliz yeah why are the sails full with no wind on that galleon?
@CaptAmehrican Photoshop optimism?
@CaptAmehrican magic?
@Kidsandliz "Second star to the right and straight on 'til morning. "
@LaVikinga Yes!
cat in the rigging (sure hope they keep it out of the rigging if there is chop)
and you have this during this week
And of course this
@Kidsandliz Up 2?
@ELUNO Up 2 what? I have no clue what you are talking about. These two pictures are idiosyncratic to CapA. and myself.
@Kidsandliz But she is the captain of my boat!
Also:
/image Up
@ELUNO @kidsandliz Ok I know that the ballon pic was probably done as a Lane memorial but OMG how hilarious is the idea of Rebel being lifted by kiddy balloons. I laughed so so hard at this bizzarr idea
Fyi Kid parade of sail is tomorrow
Fyi Eluno thanks. ♡ xoxo
@CaptAmehrican Hooray!
@CaptAmehrican The balloon one was the 2009 Chesapeake Bay Schooner Race poster as the 10th anniversary of it.
Hope you get to see the parade of sail from a taxi that has been chartered to go out and watch.
@Kidsandliz There’s the HRBT, and that bridge looks familiar, and the Parade of Sail. Oh, others enjoy the pictures too.
@OldCatLady Photos are from the Fells Point (Baltimore) to Norfolk Schooner Race. Race starts Thursday, schooners are in town now (Fells Point end). Both of us have sailed in that, helped with that and know the founder of that. Had I any money I’d be there rather than here and hitch a working ride on one of the boats.
I’m watching the hilarious Kevin Hart on Ellen.
@growyoungagain I’m watching Khloe’s boobie fall out of her blouse.
@therealjrn I missed that, but the height diference between Khloe and Kevin is like wow!!
@growyoungagain Wow Khloes teeth are really clean and white.
I love my insulated drink holders. Thanks, Amazon Warehouse!
2 40oz Hydro Flasks full of unsweetened ice tea
1 32oz Swig Savvy full of iced cofffe w almond milk and sugar-free vanilla something or other
@f00l I love purple.
@Barney
So do I.
@f00l Me
A local Japanese garden will soon look like this:
A local bakery that has the best donuts in the southeast. Watching the sun rise.
Watching this video.
@RiotDemon Hahaha i love that dog
@RiotDemon My wife is going to melt when she sees this video.
I just had a great Manhattan garnished with Luxardo cherries. Really the most amazing drink garnish.
@AnnaB Love me some Luxardo cherries!
Simple joy- simplifying my life and possessions to the point that a 475 sq ft apartment feels spacious.
@HemlockTea
We will be needing extensive instruction videos and handholding pls.
@HemlockTea How did you do that??
(say it like Cookie Monster talks)
@HemlockTea So we might see you on Tiny House Hunters soon?
@growyoungagain Lots of introspection about what I really need to be happy, and finally being ready to change. And I read a lot of decluttering blogs
@dashcloud My place is nowhere near cool enough for that. And my neighborhood is too, um, ‘hood’, for the HGTV crowd, methinks. It’s not as bad as the cinderblock shack I lived in, or the walk-in closet I once rented, but it doesn’t have that hipster quality to it.
@f00l I just need someone to do it for me LOL
@Kidsandliz
Yeah. If I were rich I might hire @HemlockTea to help me pretend to be productive while actually procrastinating.
@HemlockTea, pls give us some links to some of your online resources and blogs.
Plus, how did you resolve my worst dilemma? “But I really really really wanna own and collect all these things, even tho I never look at them or use them?”
That one bedevils me. And I so far have not made myself come to terms.
Why, exactly, don’t I have a robot slave? I forget? What, they don’t exist yet? Fuck.
Oh yeah, once we get them, don’t they always wind up wanting power or freedom or both? Crap.
Whining and moaning and bitching while expecting less than zero sympathy could be one of life’s simple pleasures, if you look at it just right. Sigh.
@f00l If you want to own and collect them, own and collect them. If it makes you happy, then keep them. Put them on display if you can, so you can smile more often when you see them, or put them in a box and bring them out regularly to enjoy.
With me, I had a bunch of clutter built up due to my depression. A lot of old paper when I could manage to make it to the mailbox but didn’t have the strength to deal with the actual mail. Stuff I bought to cheer me up a little but ended up making things worse by being another thing in a pile collecting dust.
The key is recognizing the things that you use and the things that make you happy, and discarding the rest. It’s a long, slow process, and might be painful due to emotions attached to the objects (guilt for spending the money on it, anxiety over a relationship it’s related to, etc.), but be kind and nonjudgmental to yourself. If the clutter is not due to an emotional issue, just take baby steps and deal with small amounts at a time.
As for resources, I like the processes presented by Clear & Simple. I listen to the audiobook version of their systems (Get Organized the Clear and Simple Way- both my city and county libraries have the audiobook in their e-collections). Basically you start just by sorting things into categories (Read, Action, File, Toss), and those categories can be into containers to deal with later as you have time, so it doesn’t look messy but you don’t have to make any decisions on what you want to keep until you are ready to. Then when you are ready to start making decisions, you sort each category further.
For blogs, I mostly just skim things for visual inspiration and also for an “I’m not alone” feeling. For the latter A Slob Comes Clean is hilarious and she shows you before pictures of the chaos in her house, which I really like.
Ginger Chews
Seen over on Wooterville
A difficult bronze casting ring came out perfectly today. My two previous pours were not successes, so it was nice for this one to have come out perfectly. Here’s a photo of it in wax. Still doing sprue cleanup on the final piece.
@moondrake what?? That’s crazy cool.
@RiotDemon @moondrake makes beautiful jewelry.
@Barney you just want a dragon woth purple wings
@CaptAmehrican Dragons scare me (even ones with purple wings), but @moondrake used to show us some photos of her jewelry over at Deals. Her creations are really unique and very beautiful.
@Barney oh she is clearly a fantastic artist.
@CaptAmehrican @Barney Wow guys, thanks for the kind words! (I can’t figure out how to make the @Barney a link… Not so techie, me.)
@CaptAmehrican @Barney I absolutely love dragons. I have one tattooed on my leg. It’s not purple though
@Kidsandliz
@CaptAmehrican Hooray!
@CaptAmehrican
What city? Baltimore?
@f00l Yes Baltimore
@CaptAmehrican THANK YOU!!
I presume they are doing the position map tracking as usual during the race…
If anyone on meh wants to track their progress - race starts tomorrow) I am pretty sure this is the url:
http://www.baltimoremarinecenters.com/about-bmc/schooner-race-tracking.aspx (for everyone who might be interested pick 2016 from the drop down to get the right year’s race. Pretty funny as right now the trackers must all be in a building since it shows all the boats on land LOL)
If you see (and aren’t too busy) the AJ Meerwald while you are out on the water could you take a pic?
@Kidsandliz There’s one on the water! That’s cheating!
@ELUNO Race doesn’t start until 18 or so hours… They are probably out with passengers on a sunset sail.
@Kidsandliz More like surveying the track for rough patches to know where to sail by!
@Kidsandliz just left schooner party. Also check out usns carson city behind rebel
@ELUNO they hand out trackers tommrow morning
@CaptAmehrican Will you be on any of them?!?
@ELUNO sadly no.
@CaptAmehrican Hope the party was FUN (sob). I am not familiar with that boat.
Also if you were going to do the meh exchange on that thread you are listed as only partly signing up. Might want to put whatever code word you put on the form on the thread or fill in whatever the heck you are missing in that chaos.
@CaptAmehrican Somebody (says Principles) has a tracker on board as it is showing up on the feed. Must be either docked or anchored as it is showing 0 knots. Maybe you can stow away and call in sick?
@Kidsandliz The captain hates pirates and probably stow aways as well.
@Kidsandliz @CaptAmehrican yes, you are going to miss out on a chance of getting a tarantula in your box!
@ELUNO you are welcome to mail me anything except spiders.
Re meh exchange i told her I’m out. All the rules and code words I have no idea and I know I can’t follow the rules. I have not bought enough from meh. The chaos of that thread took all the fun away so no irk drawings.
P.s. no snakes either
@CaptAmehrican Aww… Not even a spider on a boat?!
Concept art:
@ELUNO
Only spider I like.
@CaptAmehrican Aww… I can probably only afford this one:
@Kidsandliz
I had the pleasure of a few hours visit to Baltimore in 2014. Spent a lot of time walking around and some hours at Fort McHenry.
That city is worth more time than I could spare that day.
Live feed shortly after the start of the race. You will have to sign into facebook to see it.
https://www.facebook.com/GreatChesapeakeBaySchoonerRace/
Looks like they are about 1/3 of the way down the bay (see the link I provided earlier) right now. Most boats are sailing at speeds of 5 or 6 knots or so.
@CaptAmehrican Fiat comes first to my mind, but that is some sharp ride.
@Kidsandliz How long does this last?!?
@ELUNO I just looked (8:27am central) - the first and second boats are just now going past the Navy base. They will be there in under an hour. Two are at the Hampton Roads bridge tunnel, a couple right behind them, and the rest are strung out where some have a ways to go. Of course then the times have to be adjusted for the boat to see who actually won.
http://www.baltimoremarinecenters.com/About-BMC/Schooner-Race-Tracking.aspx
First 4 boats are in. The rest are closing fast (or in some cases not quite so fast LOL).
@Kidsandliz Where was our GCBSR league when we needed it?! I would have totally won.
I got to meet a hairless sphinx cat named Paul at the vet’s office today.
@rv617 What a beauty! I had a lovely conversation with an Irish terrier at the vet’s office this week. She didn’t bounce, yap, try to go see other dogs, or misbehave. I asked her if she wanted to go home with me, and she was agreeable, but her owner said no. I talk to dogs, and cats, and the occasional horse. Nice people.
@OldCatLady Yeah, it’s funny how people always seem to react badly when I try to take their animals home with me.
@rv617 I met 6 greyhounds at the park today. The owners let me pet all of them. I get to meet more dogs now that I play Pokemon Go.
@sammydog01 I’d much rather meet a greyhound than a Jigglypuff!
The simple joy of dressing up as a clown to greet the children on their way to school…not near @mehbee though.
@therealjrn
@therealjrn You’re so wrong and a little right…I might be packing
@mehbee
I found this app called neko atsume. It makes me happy.
@f00l is there something in the grass, or am I looking at the grass?
@RiotDemon You should be looking at something @Barney would like
@ELUNO is the fuzzy stuff purple? It looks mostly white, with pink/brown tinge.
@RiotDemon Well, I would call it magenta/Barney the dinosaur purple. And where do you see brown?!?
@ELUNO I’m assuming it’s color settings differences. I’ve seen a plant like this in person, and it doesn’t look purple to me. Maybe that’s clouding my vision.
@RiotDemon Well, Barney the dino is technically not purple and has clouded mine as well (and the vision of millions.) So meh.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
@ELUNO
/image purple
/image Barney
@RiotDemon He doesn’t match the purple pallet you provided!
@ELUNO depending on the photo, Barney usually looks pink or fuchsia, never a true purple.
@RiotDemon
Wow so many comments! I took the pic because of the beautiful fuzzy purple tall things. No i idea what it is - that is a commercially landscaped corporate building.
@f00l I saw the beauty and joy in it. I deserve a star!
Simple and purple. And Friday.
Celebrating small joys is going to be my mantra. I’m going to start doing chair yoga again, and I just ordered an aromatherapy machine from MorningSave. Recent stresses and events need to be offset.
A big jar of cold apple sauce and an ice tea spoon.
@cranky1950 I made a quart of homemade apple butter yesterday, using a new recipe and my beloved Instant Pot. With hot biscuits, it’s pure ambrosia.
Drinking some delicious beer while grilling a burger.
ice cream, chocolate, whipped cream straight from the can, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, peaches, funnel cakes, tall ships, carillons, and cats
@Kidsandliz I thought you were listing an ice cream/topping combination and then it got really weird…