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March 6th, 2009
10:28 am - for a smart girl...
so i've had this three-well shampoo/bodywash/whatever shower dispenser for like, well over a year now, uninstalled. Sonn after i purchased it, I decided that three chambers was probably overkill since i don't use that much product, and had it in my head that i woudl get back to home depot (less than a mile away btw) one of these days and exchange it for a two-chamber, or maybe even a one-chamber, and then add-on as necessary (even though i woudl have to spend more, i wouldn't have that empty chamber mocking me, and making me have to think. "what should i put in there? should i just add another container of whatever is in the first chamber? how is it that this shower liquid dispenser is now RULING MY LIFE???)
Since then, i've gotten on a pretty great combination of head drugs, and the other day whilst cleaning under my bathroom cabinet, where this dispenser was living, still in its box with the store receipt taped to it (see how together i am?!) it occured to me that putting the damn thing up would be a good way to close that mental loop once and for all (thanks for the metaphor, btw, david allen, as well as everything else, you cute little mouse-man organizational guru, you!), to hell with the extra chamber; i would just fill it with something, anything, so it wouldn't be distracting or get moldy (beer? chocolate sauce? an aquarium fish...hey that's not a bad idea actually...the little pump would make it easier to clean his little tank, too. And fish for me are always boys, don't ask me why).
So i gamely got the box out, and over the next day whenever i was in there i did another step of the intallation. cleaned the spot with Scrubbing Bubbles (also known as the greatest clenaing product ever invented). Wiped it down with isopropal alcohol. stuck the little sticky tabs, designed to hold the unit bracket to the wall secruely while the silicone caulk/glue (included) dries, to the back of the bracket. Finally: squiggled the glue stuff to the back of the bracket just like in the instruction booklet's illustration, and firmly positioned it onto the perfect spot on the shower wall.
ove the next 24 hours, the mandatory waiting period before you're supposed to put the dispenser on the chassis, i was so, so good. only tested how securely it was adhering like, two or three times, and didn't ONCE try and tempt fate by putting the unit on the chassis "because they always overestimate how long you need to let that stuff dry because they KNOW your're not going to be patient", and instead waited the full 24 hours PLUS before this last step. That way, if it fell off the wall, i wouldn't be wondering if it was because i only let it dry for 22 hours, preventing the occult molecular happenings that occur during the 22-hour and one second to 24-hour period, and bringing the loud, soapy disaster onto myself.
This was, however, a mistake.
As i gleefully celebrated the moment of truth by filling up my little chambers (one for bodywash, one for bath oil. And the last, troubling chamber? Conditioner for my now chin-length tresses! three-plus years of super short hair and i totally forgot about this stuff!), i could envision how awesome and spa-like my showers were about to become. with the care and grace of a coronation, i lifted up the dispenser to put it on the holder and...no. NO NO NO NO.
Goddamnit.
The bracket, the super-secure and now virtually unremovable bracket, the goddamn bracket is UPSIDE DOWN.
Fuck patience. I'm trying out evertying immediately from now on. I'm willing to bet that freakin thing would have stayed up just fine, after, of course, i flipped the bracket over. Frankly i blame it on the instructions, which i read carefully before proceeding and checked as i went. NOWHERE did it say "be sure you have it right-side up, as we realize it looks virtually the same either way!"
Goddamnit.
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August 13th, 2008
08:10 pm
Two dwarves go into a bar where they pick up two women & take them to their separate hotel rooms. The 1st dwarf, however, is unable to get an erection. His depression is made worse by the fact that, from the next room, he hears his little friend shouting out cries of 'Here I come again! One, two, three, uh,' all night long. In the morning, the 2nd dwarf asks the 1st 'How did it go?' The 1st mutters 'It was so embarrassing. I simply couldn't get an erection.' The 2nd dwarf shook his head & says 'You think that's embarrassing? I couldn't even get on the bed.' |
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July 8th, 2008
02:09 am - finally finished season 4 of LOST
omfg, etc. Season 5 starts in January and i can't wait.
i want to start purposely setting things up to look forward to.
so, let's see, that's six months from now. according to my calculations, by this day in january my hair should be 3" longer, that's something, too.
not very ambitious i know.
what else can i plan?
kris and i were going to take a sewing class but we missed that and we didn't want to go in the summer. things will be too busy between now and christmas, so that had better wait till after.
i could do a debt-reduction plan.
we could plan a trip?
i'm going to new york next month for the gift show, that's something. maybe i should catch a show with my mom while i am up there.
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May 22nd, 2008
08:41 am - getting up butt-ass early
now i know the exact difference between Jolie Holland, Julie Doiron, and Neko Case
it's nicer to wake up from the sun shining in than from an alarm
goddammit cat you're deaf as a stone how the hell did you know i was up?
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May 13th, 2008
02:10 pm
Can someone please explain to me how solitary confinement is not considered "cruel and unusual" exactly?
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May 5th, 2008
11:12 am - After wearing incredibly flat, plain shoes this weekend...
my friend forwarded me a NYTIMES article about barefoot walking and foot health that really blew my mind, but instantly made sense, as great ideas often do.
Among other stuff about more commonly known things like high heels are bad for you and your toes need room, it stated some research that indicated that, contrary to what a lot of people including myself thought, expensive, high-tech sneakers and euro-comfort shoes with lots of arch support and etc are really NOT that great for your feet, as they make life too easy on them and you aren't really using your foot's muscles to walk.
Also, since you have no direct sense of what the ground you're walking on really feels like, you are more prone to injury due to sloppy and inaccurate walking or running habits...anyway it was an amazing article and included some neat links to products which protect the bottoms of your feet and your toes etc but give you a near-shoeless experience.
a hilarious statistic: people who spent $ 40 or less on running shoes experienced FAR fewer injuries than people who were spending more. Now i can immediately come up with at least one good alternate reason why this could be the case other than "cheaper shoes are better", but on the surface this was pretty interesting.
It actually mirrored an experience i had recently where i went through about 600 dollars worth of sneakers from zappos in a frenzy of trying and returning, only to dig out a pair of sneakers from payless i had slated to give away and find they felt better on my foot than anything else i had tried! thankfully this released me from a seemingly endless quest but unfortunately took away my last excuse for not exercising.
anyway...
i was immediately drawn to some of these really crazy shoes they had in article, one pair which looks like a high-tech glove for your feet, with articulated toes and everything, but since i'm trying to be more budget-minded and this is a pretty big change, i thought i would pick up some super-cheap shoes at Payless last week.
This weekend was my first time with my flat, foot-shaped maryjanes, which are red and cute but also accentuate the shapelessness of my leg and ankle, which i decided we were all going to have to get over.
Today my feet are pretty much completely pain-free, and my calves and Achilles area has this pleasantly sore feeling like i have been working out...because in essence i HAVE been working out, and also simultaneously stretching the back of my legs.
My feet in general feel a little desensitized on the bottoms, which is no biggie, and interestingly my big toes, which over the last couple years were starting on a twisted journey rotating to the "inside of my leg" side on each foot, look almost completely straight and correct again.
I don't know if it's just psychological, but my feet even feel stronger...
so long story short, i will be wearing these cute shoes until they fall apart, and am going to get more in every color in the mean time.
This is so great because i was getting really frustrated trying to find shoes for the summer because the more features you add, the more variables can be "incorrect" for you, and like i said, i had been snared by the idea that comfort brands like earth, dansko, birkenstock, etc were the way to go, and when you're spending near or over 100 bucks a pop you want them to be perfect.
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March 18th, 2008
08:30 pm - Mindfulness, connectedness, filing.
Been thinking about lots of stuff lately, in a kind of back-way…trying and succeeding in getting my act together lately, thanks mostly to medications and also some little helpful mantras that I find myself using a lot. “You choose the behavior, you choose the consequences”. “Do what you are doing”. “Act with intention” (these last two comes in especially handy in the kitchen!).
I’ve also been thinking a lot about the idea of “connecting” to aspects of your life. I mean, I will go weeks and realize I haven’t really paid attention to some role, or some outside thing that needs tending just as a garden would. Now if you know me you know that I am practical to the point of appearing superficial, and maybe I am, but at any rate, a lot of this stuff is just really basic shit that rolls along, involves you, and can really screw you up if you don’t make the effort to do a check-in at regular intervals.
Things like food. Finances. Mail. Laundry. Serious but mundane stuff like taxes, and less mundane issues like connecting with a friend or family member. Also, paying attention to the different aspects of your business when you are your own boss…it’s really critical to have those roles and responsibilities written down somewhere and really get at the essence of what it represents.
Maybe this stuff is easy and ingrained in some people, but as someone with ADD who has only recently been diagnosed and gotten on medications, it’s a whole new world, and gives me a more philosophical way of coming at it because of its newness.
For me it’s always so easy to drop out. Even with medication I need to consciously think to myself every day “ok, who are you, who and what is depending on you?”. It’s hard because I work at home so I have to consciously create the sense of “stuff going on”, and also continuity, that usually comes when you work outside the home. That continuity thing is really hard, so I am trying to journal a little every day in my calendar on basic happenings…if I can only remember to look at the damn thing every day!
So today, in preparation to catch up on some tax stuff (which I am so, so unspeakably happy to be finally nearing some closure on) I completely sorted two big baskets of papers that have been sitting around and I have been adding to for about two months now. I didn’t want to miss anything that might pertain to the taxes by trying to dig through them so I figured I would just do it all the way and know for sure that I had uncovered every stone. Fortunately most of it is just stuff to file, and for which I already have designated files for, so that’s nice. I may go ahead and file that stuff instead of leaving it stacked because it probably won’t take more than a half hour and will keep me from continuing to have to pick it up and move it or whatever.
I’m so very tired of procrastinating.
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March 7th, 2008
09:51 pm - i feel kind of stupid
i've been on this ridiculous quest to find the perfect pair of walking/gym shoes and it's taken me to some pretty expensive places. fortunately, i haven't kept any of them, due to Zappos' ridiculously lenient return policy, which i am sure i have single-handedly given them the impetus to end forever.
So i had it narrowed down to two pair in my possession, but still returnable. One was a pair of New Balance and one was from Earth with their wacky "negative heel technology" and aggressive arches. But in the midst of cleaning up my office today, i came across a pair i had bought about a year ago at Payless, of all places, and decided were too hot or too dorky or heavy or something. Anyway, i was just going to donate them or sell them for five dollars on ebay or something silly.
Anyway, so i come across them, as i said, and i was like "hmmm, why don't i try these on and see if they're passable" since i had nothing to lose, and so i put them on and headed immediately downstairs to the gym, now that i was shod. ridiculous what holds you up from doing something.
So the upshot is yeah, they are just about identically comfortable as the NB shoes i was thinking of keeping and while not coming in close at all to the Earth brand ones i was condsidering, will certainly "foot" the bill (ba-dum!) of me walking on the treadmill at 2 miles an hour. Shut up, it's a start, and it's at a 12 inch incline, shit's hard.
Did i mention i got these for 17 bucks? and that the other ones are 100 each? Those will be going back monday!
yeah, right now, these will be just fine. I'm so glad i didn't get rid of them!
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March 3rd, 2008
04:52 pm
eggs with cheddar and toast
black coffee
window open sweet air-smell
soft sounds of cars and wind
birds chirping, people doing stuff outside
sunshine!
it's funny how i don't even have to go outside or necessarily even want to, but all this springy-ness has me in a good mood since i opened my eyes this morning.
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February 11th, 2008
06:44 pm - A day without Adderall
A day without Adderall 02/11/08
Yesterday I went off my Adderall for a whole day and oh man was I ever reminded why I started on it in the first place.
I got the sudden desire to “get rid of stuff” and proceeded to tear apart several drawers containing hats, bags, and scarves, and also “the junk drawer”. After the contents of those were somewhat scientifically scattered and stacked around the foyer and all of the furniture residing there, I moved on to some sketchbooks and an old scrapbook , tearing out old drawings to either keep or toss, and old ads and photos and stuff from the scrapbook . Some of the magazine ads I am going to try and sell on eBay even for a couple of dollars; there seems to be a market for that kind of thing.
I am actually planning on starting to sell lots of weird stuff on eBay, even stuff like makeup I didn’t end up using but once to try it, etc. I have a lot of time on my hands and even if I only sell stuff for a buck or whatever, or make up little lots like with the makeup, I feel better about that than just throwing it out, and I could use the extra little bit of money or I would probably end up donating a lot of it.
I have however probably a couple hundred books to sell also, so I don’t know whether I will do this on eBay or Half.com. I figure if I do eBay auctions then I can do some lots on stuff that is on related topics, and then also I figure I will get rid of the stuff faster since an auction has a limited time and half.com it’s up there 'til someone buys it. Then again, that might be better because I don’t want to have to keep re-listing this stuff. I don’t know, eBay might be the better idea; maybe I will try a few there first and see how it goes, and then decide what to do with the rest.
But anyway…later on in the day yesterday I completely lost interest in that project, and got really tired and cranky. I also had all of these problems feeling comfortable in my clothes, which was a problem that plagued me almost daily until I got on meds. It’s a pretty esoteric problem but I have heard of other ADDers experiencing this as well, but usually as like, being really aware of a seam or something specific, where with me it was always like, this whole-body sense of rejection where the outfit felt too brief, or too hot, or the ankles were too short, or whatever.
Until the clothes issue sprung up I was enjoying being an ADD terror, but of course I also got depressed and annoyed and overwhelmed over the project before abandoning it and now I have to clean up my mess. :)
I did, however, get some good things accomplished during my mania, despite not finishing entirely. It was so weird to be back there again, though, obsessed with this project of getting rid of things when none of it was really hurting anybody. So ADD typical, to involve myself in this exciting and completely un-necessary expedition instead of doing something so much more obviously constructive, such as cleaning the messy kitchen or going through the pile of mail accumulating on my dining table.
Current Mood: "normal" again
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September 7th, 2007
01:25 pm - What Do You Have To Say? - Writing: Makes Me A Better Writer
having to do commercial writing i.e. advertising and other things like brochures and websites for former employers. you're always constrained by space, word count, etc, so you're forced to be concise, but impactful. Catchy, but never trite...a style all your own.
Barf. The new fragrance.
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August 16th, 2007
03:44 pm
you ever notice how when we talk about "social constructs", it's usually in a way that implies that they are something intriniscally bad? what about not talking with your mouth full and looking both ways before you cross the street? or being on time, and saying "bless you" when someone sneezes?
at what point do social constructs become social constraints, or social oppression? how much should the government intervene on behavior?
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August 14th, 2007
07:46 pm
inch by inch, life's a cinch
yard by yard, pretty hard.
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09:32 am - you know those large ad packets you get in the mail?
you can stop those, i am so excited! i hate the fact that these are getting made only for a lot of them to end up in the trash as soon as you open your box :(
in the DC metro area, call 202-334-7730
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August 9th, 2007
09:58 am - uh...this is definitely a first...
i misplaced my cordless mouse until just this second when i used my tab key to move around and opened this to post about how i misplaced my mouse, looked down, and there it was!
it was just on the wrong side of the table, in the left-handed person's mouse-area. that was NOT there a minute ago. someone's playing tricks on me!!!
and as many of you may know i work at home when i am not out vending, so, yeah, either *I* did this or it's the work of some mysterious energy!!! (i'm voting for " I did this ").
Maybe stuff that isn't literally tied down isn't such a good idea for someone such as myself. i'd looked all over the house for it. a normal person would have found it right away because they wouldn't have even entertained the notion that they could have, say, left it in the bathroom cabinet, or perhaps just in an extremely well-hidden spot on a side table next to a lamp, not to be found for six months.
sigh.
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August 8th, 2007
12:46 pm - internet awesomeness
www.dailylit.com
currenly subscribed to Heart of Darkness.
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03:02 am - what was i coming in here to do???
oh, yeah, it didn't involve SITTING IN FRONT OF THE COMPUTER.
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July 31st, 2007
10:18 am - wow, if i had actually posted about this when i did it, it would be freaking you out, too
last week i netfliexed "Blow Up" and me and K watched/really enjoyed it. Yesterday we figured we would watch it again with the commentary, done by a writer (coincidentally a professor at GMU) who authored a book on Antonioni and his work.
Really enjoyed that, too, made me appreciate it even more and i'm so pleased with myself for being in the know now about this movie, etc etc...i didn't know anything about this director and only vaguely knew there was a movie called Blow Up or Blow Out (a later homage which i was disappointed to discover when i Tivoe'd it a month ago thinking i was finally going to see that movie i remembered seeing something about in vanity fair like, almost 20 years ago about a 60's photographer and something sinister...)
come to find Antonioni DIED yesterday at the age of 94. it's creepy and the vapidly morbid stuff of watercooler talk... but also kind of profound and not-sad, driving home in such an immediate way how a person's artistic vision persists beyond their lifetime.
I believe he lived and died in Italy, and with the time difference I was quite possibly watching his masterpiece, something he worked on hard and brought to life, and something that is new for everyone who sees it for the first time, at the very moment he himself left this place.
And with that, what started as a superficial "OMFG, can you beleive it???" post is ending on a more meaningful note for me. I have a smile on my face; life after death? I'm glad i met you, Mr. Antonioni :)
Current Mood: ![[mood icon]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/charitycam/goth_girl/surprised.gif) surprised
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July 9th, 2007
01:20 pm - newsbreak: sometimes people notice stuff
weird, i posted to my journal for the first time in umptybillion years, and i get all these comments. well to be fair it was like, three, but nonetheless i feel like a little mole sticking her nose out on the first day of spring.
and blinking. and going back into my hole.
naw, just kidding, but apparently it was too much for my computer as i came out to look up how to make my own gatorade (as looking up how to make stuff at home that i can buy at the store is one of my weird hobbies, it would seem)only to move my mouse and nothing happened. power outage or...something else????!!!! the universe telling me to stay off livejournal, perhaps?
anyhow, in answer to the question that was posed to me in the previous post, yes, my roommate Angela moved out a couple months ago to get a place with her S.O., and i decided to take that room. It's something i have been wanting for a long time, actually, "a room of one's own" so to speak, and i figured if i didn't do it then it would be a long time before i got the chance again most likely.
I was a little hesitant because of the cost, but since we don't budget basically at all or keep very good track of our income (yet: more on that another time)it was hard to tell if we could "afford" it, but if we started to find ourselves coming up short then we could always just do what we've always done, i.e. get a roommate.
also, i'm a little fuzzy on how i feel about money in general i.e. the psycho-spritual nature of money/abundance/budgeting/"affordability" etc. short version is that i feel like this is something i almost couldn't afford NOT to do (which is one of those phrases that rings true for me but also comes off as so, like, i don't know...coke-fuelled 1970's-rich hippie speak? at least that's where the synapses are taking me right now), because of what having it does for me.
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