Coffee

I made my coffee a little different today. Instead of putting the grounds in the filter and then adding hot water (I use the Melita system), I boiled the water with half the normal amount of coffee, then put the resulting "tea" through the strainer. It's not too bad. And I get "Cowboy Coffee" without the grains! ;>D

Friends???

I have a "friend" who keeps harping on what I should be doing. She is in her own bag of shit, and yet she keeps judging me for what I'm not doing and not able to do.

I listen to her, and I hear all the stuff that's wrong. How this person or that institution wronged her, how this isn't working out, her lawn is a foot tall, her dog need more maintenance...

What I don't hear is how she was grateful to wake up this morning, that she had water to shower with, and drink, that she has a dog that loves her, that she has a house with a yard.... I don't hear any gratitude at all.

Yet, she harps on how messed up my life is, how I don't eat right, and what I shouldn't include in the room I'm renting. I'm sorry, but even renting a hotel room, you get a bed and dresser!!! You get a closet! Shit!!! What does she think a person wants - a blank, empty room???? I don't think so!!!

So, I've decided to see less of this person. She can go off and be miserable by herself. Maybe her sponsor can jump her ass. She won't listen to me, because she knows everything. I've tried to be a good friend, and to support her and confront her, as she needed me to do; but I can't do it anymore. The price is too high. My sanity and serenity are too important.

If I'm a little flaky once in a while, that's fine. I can do that. I'm more creative most days, than not. That makes me less than attentive to the details sometimes. I pay attention to my life by what needs the attention. If someone has advice or a suggestion, I'll listen - not necessarily take their advice or suggestion. I'll listen - that's the bargain.

So, that's my rant for tonight. I can't call anyone at this hour, but I can blog. Thank goodness for the internet!

Still Sore...

I got up early - early - EARLY this morning and mowed the lawn. I'm still sore. I took ibuprophen, and it messed up my tummy, but without it, I'd be a total mess!

I didn't get to the weed-eater, so that still needs to be done. Maybe, if I'm moving a little better, tomorrow I can do it.

Sleep??? Work???

What sleep??? What work???

I've been doing all the same things I've done for years to promote a good night's sleep, but it ain't happenin'....

I might sleep 2 hours (last night) or 4 (the night before) or, if I'm really lucky, 6 hours (Sunday night).

I wake up in the middle of the night - either to relieve myself or just to turn over, and can never get back to sleep. Last night, it was a dream that woke me. A dream about my mom. OK, really it was a memory. I heard her singing.

My mom could SING! She really had a nice voice. There were other things she didn't have - like a famous name or a great head-shot. But she had the voice.

I e-mailed a friend of mine to see if there was any way to track down a tape of mom's voice, and it seemed to be a dead end.

But, of course, it was 5am before I got done and went back to bed. I'd spent the time sifting through the job ads, because one of my worries is that projection I have of me: homeless, jobless, and on the streets. Hey - it's happened before, so it isn't that far-fetched! And that kind of worry can keep a body awake no matter what.

Well, I went back to bed, and was nearly defeated by cold feet. Finally, I got to sleep, only to be woken by the alarm. I re-set it for another hour, and then got up. I have stuff to do today - like follow up on those job leads.

Besides, I arranged to get a word processor today. Free, of course! If it works as well as I hope, maybe I can access the files of my dad's sermons, or at least write some more of my stories down.

I picked up a typewriter about a week ago. I need to get a new ribbon for it, but that's all. It works fine. If I can find some ink for the ribbon that's on it already, that will be a "greener" solution. The unit can also use one of those red/black ribbons, if I can find one.

I've been waiting for the plumber since Monday. I have sewer gasses coming from both toilets, and Habitat referred me to a plumber last week who said he'd come by on Monday, but he hasn't shown up. I've called him to follow up, and reported the non-response and no-show to Habitat.

Well, I have to get moving so I can get to the employment office. The temp services don't have anything, so maybe one of the 5 I found there will work out.

Crochet!

I went crazy yesterday, following a link to Lion Brand Yarns from Facebook.

I found 50 or more crochet patterns and downloaded them to my computer. I printed out another 30 or so.

I'm actually making up one of the items - but I won't be publishing a pic till after my sister's birthday - since I'm making it for her...

UPDATE: 7/17 - I finished the piece last night, but again, no photos till my sis receives it. It came out pretty good!

Economy - Recession or Depression? It's 1975 Again.

I've been thinking about the economy lately.

There are few jobs out there, and what there are, pay a lot less than what we used to make. However, prices aren't falling. We still have expensive gas, food and utilities. Housing costs may go down a little bit - but do you really think landlords will lower the rent? Not unless you move to a cheaper, smaller, less desirable place to live, anyway!

So, this is beginning to sound a lot more like a depression than a recession. A recession is when the economy is contracting. Our economy is beyond that. It's trying to rebound, but there are too many downward forces, and that defines a depression. That and high unemployment.

The figures you hear about are skewed - too many folks are out of the job market - no jobs, no benefits, no tracking....

People in the generations after me are likely not prepared for this. Even folks in my generation (boomers) aren't really ready for it! Our parents are children of the Great Depression, so they know how to do things, cut corners, and make a little stretch a ways...

Folks in my kid's generation and younger (just now welcoming twenty-somethings or grandkids), are not prepared for this. Some of them even had everything handed to them, in compensation for what we didn't have as kids....

Let's face it, we do that - we want our kids to never know the privations we endured - whatever they may be. There are generations that were never allowed to fail - all kids had to succeed - even if all they did was show up! Those folks don't know how to handle disappointment, failure, or privations. Those folks are the least capable of surviving what's still to come.

We are all told to prepare for retirement, because government spending is so out of control that social security (which we've paid into our whole lives) is not going to be there for us. Well, I'd like my money back, please.... I never said you could use those earmarked funds for something else, did I?

It's a mess, that's for sure. We will be living with the grand ideas of the 80's, 90's and 00's for a long time. I truly believe we will be going back to the days of the oil embargo - at least financially. I remember that, and the recession that followed it. I was just out of college and couldn't find a job. There weren't any. And that's happening again! So, yeah - it's 1975 again.

Traditional Crochet Dishcloth

Here is a more traditionally shaped dishcloth. I had a lot of yarn left over, so I made this up. It took about 90 minutes.

The Pattern:
ch4, sl st together into a ring
ch3, 2dc, ch 3, *3dc, ch3* 3 more times, connecting ring with sl st.
3dc ch3, 3dc in each ch3 space around.
As the square becomes larger, 3dc in opening between 3dc of previous row, and 3dc, ch3, 3dc in each corner.
The edging:
Row 1: ch 5, sk 2, sc; then sl st 3 to get to the center of the first ch5 and ch5,
Row 2: sc in center of each ch5 around.
Finish off.

Dreams & Crochet

I had a dream using the format of NCIS, with Ziva, DeNozo, Tim and Gibbs. That crazy attorney lady was in it, as was Ducky. The other characters weren't in it.

I was on the team, protecting a woman - she was killed by a sniper. I had an uncomfortable moment figuring out what to call Gibbs.

My girlfriend was also on the team, pursuing a man. She was being followed by the crazy attorney lady.

The man she was following was "of interest" but not wanted, and was somehow related to the lady I'd been protecting.

That's it. My brain thinks weird ways sometimes. I can come up with all kinds of plot twists that aren't there.

It makes me a good writer, but so far things haven't been published.

++++++

The crocheting I did wasn't as pretty as I'd wanted, but here's a photo of it.

No, it's not a hat. It's a dishcloth. It's trianular with a round hanging ring at the top.

The yarn is really bad! It kept splitting and coming apart. That greenish color is really a gray, but there are large bits of it in the skein.

I used single and double crochet, chains, and some fans/shells, and I did a couple of rows of back post stitches.

Crochet

I went to Big Lots and spent way too much. What started it was yarn. Yeah, like I need any more of the stuff...

Well, there was a real nice acrylic yarn in grays and black, perfect for socks or a dishcloth. Only one skein, so it'll be a dishcloth. I'll post the final result when it's finished - probably tomorrow.

Wanted -

I'm looking for someone (or a team of someones) who are interested in renewable energy and know a LOT about cars and trucks.

I have an idea how to convert current road-worthy vehicles to renewable energy, and I need the experts on vehicles and clean energy to make it happen.

No, I won't discuss my idea on my blog. I know better.

So, if you know about these things, contact me.

Reaction to Energy Drink....

I had my interviews yesterday, and there was "no joy" after either of them. That was actually OK, since I'm not the right person for the positions, and the jobs weren't right for me. It was mutual in both cases.

However, at the second interview, one of the people gave me a sample of the products, an energy and mood-enhancing drink, in both sugar-based and sugar-free versions.

I don't drink sodas, and I don't use energy drinks. The latter just seem wrong to me for some reason. I try instead, to eat and sleep in a way that supports my body and emotions. It just seems to work better for me. Sodas just cause me gastric distress, so I avoid them.

So, I had a sample of both versions of the product. I probably drank about 1/3 of the sugar-based version. The aftertaste was still in my mouth 6 hours later, and my mood crashed!!!

I had a complete pity-party last night! NOT GOOD!!!! And when you consider that the events of the day were also "negative," I thought that I was having a valid reaction....

Not so! MAN!

Now I know why I don't use these things. It's like a drug! You want to drink more to cover or eliminate the aftertaste, and to mitigate the effects of the mood-enhancing elements expiring or decreasing. The marketing materials said the product improves or imitates both serotonin and dopamine. Who needs that???

The aftertaste wasn't totally unpleasant, but I don't do well with aspartame - there are elements of it that cause my body to have unpleasant reactions. I had those reactions, and YES, there were those elements in the sugar-based drink. There was a notice on the label, and the phenyl-based element was listed.

To avoid legal situations, I won't name the product, but I know I won't be buying it, either.

So, the upshot is that I didn't get either job, but it's really OK. The reaction to the energy drink is what I'm actually talking about today. I don't recommend them.

I know my sister used them when I saw her a couple of years ago. She doesn't sleep well, and hasn't for several years, despite medication to help. I can understand her need to use them, based on what was going on (mom passing, emptying her apartment and moving the contents to storage, my presence, etc)... But I hope she isn't using them on a regular basis.

The effects are like using a drug. Recreational, since there is no prescription available. I truly don't recommend their use. Sleep, eat well, maybe drink a cup of coffee - but don't use these drinks. Please!

Interviews...

YEA!!! I'm getting interviews!!! This is such a blessing!!! To get this far in the process in this job market...

When every position has 100+ applications and resumes submitted, to get asked for an interview is really great. It gives me the chance to get in front of the employer and show them how I can be an asset; how I can contribute to their organization.

Do I always want to be part of something else - some one else's dream? Yes and no.

I love being out on my own, running the show! I really do. I love the freedom to schedule myself, drive myself and only work as hard as I want to - or drive myself to distraction when a great project pops up! But the money isn't steady. I like the combination of my own stuff and a steady paycheck.

So, a part-time entrepreneurial drive seems to be more my style. That means that I won't ever make it "big time" and become a millionaire by those efforts - most likely, unless I get a great idea and design the next MAC computer system or something...

But for working in my "dungeon," helping in the community and spreading my efforts around, I think this is probably the best way for me right now.

Besides, I just "volunteered" to run a community garden! Who has time to spread themselves so thin??? And I still teach FPU, so that takes time...