"America isn't easy. America is advanced citizenship. You've gotta want it bad, 'cause it's going to put up a fight. It's gonna say, "You want free speech? Let's see you acknowledge a man whose words make your blood boil, who's standing center stage and advocating at the top of his lungs that which you would spend a lifetime opposing at the top of yours.""
(The American President)
Boy howdy did I learned this lesson firsthand today. Before I go any further with my story, I need to acknowledge the genius of Aaron Sorkin, who wrote the movie "The American President", including the speech above. He was also the creator and lead writer on the NBC show "The West Wing" for its first 4 seasons. He clearly understands democracy and America and if he were ever to run for office I would support him 100%.
Ok, back to story. I went to a health care town hall meeting in Waverly today that was being conducted by the U.S. House of Representatives Congressman from the 1st District of Iowa (into which my hometown falls). The room was already packed and seats filled when I arrived (40 minutes early) and I ended up standing the entire time in the back and to the side. The Congressman arrived relatively on time, which was shocking to me since I knew he had done another forum in Parkersburg 2 hours earlier.
Before the Congressman arrived, one of his District Directors explained to all of those in attendance how the event would go, greatly detailing how the question and answer segment would take place. Basically, he was reiterating the rules of civility and respect, i.e. don't talk over one another, keep your questions short and concise, don't try to engage the Congressman in debate, give everyone the chance to ask their question and get an answer, and so forth.
The Congressman arrived and began the town hall meeting with a short(ish) Power Point presentation. He was strategically dressed as the common man in khakis and a polo and used his uninterrupted presentation time to give the highlights of the House's health care reform bill, as well as acknowledge a few myths that are floating around. Then he opened it up to questions.
There were two aides roaming the room with microphones, and the District Director was up front serving as the MC. It was his job to keep things moving along and to switch between the sides of the room where the questions were coming from. A few feet from where I was standing was a Waverly police officer, assigned to crowd control and protection duties.
The very first person to be handed the microphone was an older gentleman, probably mid-seventies, who was wearing a Navy veteran cap. The second he opened his mouth it became obvious he was there not to get information, but because he is angry. He is angry with his country and with his government. He is angry with spending and with any system in which the government has a role. He is angry that he feels he has been betrayed by and can no longer trust his government. He is just angry.
His rant lasted perhaps just over one minute, during which time he grew increasingly loud and forceful. I do not remember the exact words he spoke, but do know most of the statements he made were prefaced with, "How the hell..." or "We can't trust the damn government...". He said he believes health care reform will be the straw that breaks the camel's back and that, "the streets will run red with blood before everything is said and done."
It was this final sentiment that caused the room to erupt into cheers and applause, caused the police officer to step forward so everyone had a clear view of him, and caused the reporters present to simultaneously try to take notes and photograph the Congressman's reaction. It was also this final sentiment that caused the Congressman to step forward into the anger.
The Congressman began his response by thanking the man for his naval service. He also thanked him for sharing his beliefs so passionately. The Congressman then began to truly respond, first by expressing his concern at the streets running red with blood comment, and then his concern with the man's anger. He explained his position clearly and the beliefs that led him to his position not just on health care reform, but on the role of government in general. It was quite a display of diplomacy that seemed to be lost not only on the angry man, but on the room in general, because the rest of the meeting went roughly the same way as the first "question". In general, the Congressman did not dodge questions but instead gave diplomatic answers. In some cases, he called out a few people on their "facts", flat out telling at least two people today that they were just plain wrong. I appreciated that from the Congressman. He seemed willing to accept that not everyone would believe as he does, but he was not willing to accept beliefs based on untruths. I figure that is a pretty fair way of looking at things.
For the most part it seemed the attendees at the town hall meeting were not there to gather information and ask questions, but to voice opinions based largely on the incomplete or biased tidbits that could be garnered from Fox News or ideological websites. While I cannot say I was wholly surprised by the general mood of the crowd, I did find myself more saddened than I expected. It was hard to listen to those that got a chance to speak; I felt myself wanting to ask them to reach beyond their comfort zone and to accept that America is in a time of intense, difficult, dramatic change. I wanted to ask everyone there to practice advanced citizenship, rather than the sound-byte repetition I was hearing.
I did not get a chance to ask my questions to the Congressman directly, but I did as the District Director requested and turned in my questions, with my contact information, for someone in the Congressman's office to respond to. That being said, I did talk to the Congressman after the meeting.
I waited around until everyone had left, chatting with the District Director a bit while the Congressman finished a television interview, then stopped the Congressman as he was getting ready to head out the door. I told him I had a very short question that was completely unrelated to health care. He looked a bit wary but encouraged me to continue. I looked him straight in the eyes and asked, "Are you hiring?"
Holy cow was he not expecting that question. While he stuttered a bit I gave a rundown of my education and interests, after which he congratulated me on my degree and told me I could send a resume to his district office. I told him there was no need for me to send it, since I had copies with me. I ended up handing out several copies of my resume to different officials within his administration and will be following up with a few of them very soon.
I talked a bit more with the District Director and then headed home. All in all, not a bad afternoon's work.
I'm totally impressed with myself that I hit up a Congressman for a job. Either I have no tact, or I'm braver than I think. Maybe it's a bit of both.
Love!
~g
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Melty goodness
I have become a big fan of melts lately.
Due to Justin's new dietary lifestyle choice, as well as simply not taking the time, we have not been as diligent with developing meal plans as we were during the months of June and July. Given this, sandwiches have become a regular fallback for both Carrie and I. But sammies get boring pretty quickly.
Boredom with my food has led me to present it to myself in different fashions. In the end, I'm still eating a sandwich, but they taste so good as melts! I'm mostly doing turkey and provolone melts (dipped in BBQ sauce.. so good!), but I did come up with a not-so-normal melt. Playing around with what we had on hand one day, I developed this for my lunch:
Pizza Melt
2 slices bread
1 slice provolone cheese
Mozzarella cheese
Pepperoni
Butter
Garlic Salt
Italian Seasoning
Pizza or pasta sauce
1. Coat one side of each bread slice with butter
2. Sprinkle garlic salt on buttered sides
3. Stack slices of bread, buttered side together
4. On top of non-buttered side of the top slice of bread place mozzarella, pepperoni, Italian seasoning, and provolone (in that order)
5. Heat non-stick pan to medium/medium high heat
6. Lift top slice of bread, with sandwich fillings, and place in hot pan butter side down.
7. Place remaining slice of bread on top of sandwich, butter side out
8. Cook until bread is browned and cheese is melted
9. Flip sandwich. Cook until bread is browned and cheese is melted
10. Remove from pan and let cool slightly
Heat pizza/pasta sauce in small dish in microwave. Cut sandwich in half. Serve sandwich with sauce for dipping. Enjoy!
I'm sure there's probably already a melt out there like this, but this one is at least my own creation. I think the addition of the garlic salt and Italian seasoning spices everything up and makes the whole thing even more yummy!
Stacking the filling ingredients in the order I listed puts the cheeses against each slice of bread, which helps melt the cheese without having to leave the bread on the heat too long, which, of course, would burn it. Since all we had on hand was shredded mozzarella, putting it on the sandwich first will allow it to melt together before you have to flip the sandwich. Flipping the sandwich when the mozzarella is still loose can create a mess!
I also tried this as a quesadilla and enjoyed it, but I like it better as a melt.
I am cleaning and organizing and getting my room and life back in some semblance of order today. I have somewhat just making do with my room and limited storage space since I moved home, but I have been feeling a little like a short-term visitor (you know, that feeling you get in a hotel when you put your clothes in the dresser or armoire but you know it's temporary and not your own space?). I asked Mom for a dresser, and she kindly emptied one of hers for me to use. Now that I have a space to put my things and a way to really organize my clothes and other possessions I think I will feel much more comfortable and settled.
Once I finish my room I'll spend some time working on some cover letters. Oh, how I love searching for a job.
Yesterday I took my car down to the car wash and got it cleaned up all nice. I then took some pictures, which are posted below. The tree the car was parked under created some interesting shadows, but I think the pictures are still clear enough that you can get a good idea of what my car looks like. I still need name suggestions!
Also, Rochelle, State Farm is awesome! The underwriters found me ANOTHER (I think this makes 3 or 4) discount after I had written my check for the next 6 months of coverage. I'll be getting a refund in the mail about the same time I get my official cards. I'm super happy with any place that continues to look for discounts for their customers even after the customer has paid.
Love!
~g
Due to Justin's new dietary lifestyle choice, as well as simply not taking the time, we have not been as diligent with developing meal plans as we were during the months of June and July. Given this, sandwiches have become a regular fallback for both Carrie and I. But sammies get boring pretty quickly.
Boredom with my food has led me to present it to myself in different fashions. In the end, I'm still eating a sandwich, but they taste so good as melts! I'm mostly doing turkey and provolone melts (dipped in BBQ sauce.. so good!), but I did come up with a not-so-normal melt. Playing around with what we had on hand one day, I developed this for my lunch:
Pizza Melt
2 slices bread
1 slice provolone cheese
Mozzarella cheese
Pepperoni
Butter
Garlic Salt
Italian Seasoning
Pizza or pasta sauce
1. Coat one side of each bread slice with butter
2. Sprinkle garlic salt on buttered sides
3. Stack slices of bread, buttered side together
4. On top of non-buttered side of the top slice of bread place mozzarella, pepperoni, Italian seasoning, and provolone (in that order)
5. Heat non-stick pan to medium/medium high heat
6. Lift top slice of bread, with sandwich fillings, and place in hot pan butter side down.
7. Place remaining slice of bread on top of sandwich, butter side out
8. Cook until bread is browned and cheese is melted
9. Flip sandwich. Cook until bread is browned and cheese is melted
10. Remove from pan and let cool slightly
Heat pizza/pasta sauce in small dish in microwave. Cut sandwich in half. Serve sandwich with sauce for dipping. Enjoy!
I'm sure there's probably already a melt out there like this, but this one is at least my own creation. I think the addition of the garlic salt and Italian seasoning spices everything up and makes the whole thing even more yummy!
Stacking the filling ingredients in the order I listed puts the cheeses against each slice of bread, which helps melt the cheese without having to leave the bread on the heat too long, which, of course, would burn it. Since all we had on hand was shredded mozzarella, putting it on the sandwich first will allow it to melt together before you have to flip the sandwich. Flipping the sandwich when the mozzarella is still loose can create a mess!
I also tried this as a quesadilla and enjoyed it, but I like it better as a melt.
I am cleaning and organizing and getting my room and life back in some semblance of order today. I have somewhat just making do with my room and limited storage space since I moved home, but I have been feeling a little like a short-term visitor (you know, that feeling you get in a hotel when you put your clothes in the dresser or armoire but you know it's temporary and not your own space?). I asked Mom for a dresser, and she kindly emptied one of hers for me to use. Now that I have a space to put my things and a way to really organize my clothes and other possessions I think I will feel much more comfortable and settled.
Once I finish my room I'll spend some time working on some cover letters. Oh, how I love searching for a job.
Yesterday I took my car down to the car wash and got it cleaned up all nice. I then took some pictures, which are posted below. The tree the car was parked under created some interesting shadows, but I think the pictures are still clear enough that you can get a good idea of what my car looks like. I still need name suggestions!
Also, Rochelle, State Farm is awesome! The underwriters found me ANOTHER (I think this makes 3 or 4) discount after I had written my check for the next 6 months of coverage. I'll be getting a refund in the mail about the same time I get my official cards. I'm super happy with any place that continues to look for discounts for their customers even after the customer has paid.
Love!
~g
Friday, August 21, 2009
Yeah, I saw this
So you know how I mentioned Grandpa and I were dodging tornadoes when we went to pick up my car? This was one of them.
Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy
101 project
I am slowly but surely chipping away at my 101 goals that I developed a few months ago. I have completed three goals, am currently working on 24 more, and have altered 10. I consider these numbers not bad for the first 3 months or so of this project.
I have been growing increasingly dissatisfied with the Google website I set up to track my goals and progress. I am a big fan of Google, but their website interface is just a bit too simplistic of what I wanted the site to accomplish. Yesterday I decided to move everything to a blog. A blog will allow visitors to comment and gives me more options in regards to arranging and posting of information and pictures.
Justin sent me to the site where he gets most of his blog templates and, after playing around with a few, I settled on one to at least get the blog started. I spent a good portion of last night and the early morning hours creating a post for each goal, as well as generic posts. I also, with a bit of help from Justin, make (at least in my estimation) a lot of changes to the HTML code of the template itself. I figured out some of that on my own and Justin walked me through the rest. I felt massive proud of myself for making the blog look like I wanted it to and getting everything linked properly via HTML.
I am sure there will be more changes to come, perhaps even a whole new template in the future, but from now on you'll need to go here if you are interested in seeing how I'm doing on my goals!
In other news, pictures of my new car will be coming soon. It has rained darn near constantly since I picked the car up, and I'd like to get it washed and cleaned up before I take its picture. I do need suggestions for names! I know pictures will help but be thinking on names anyway. If you come up with any leave a comment!
I am getting serious about finding a job. I had been hoping to hear from a place out East and called yesterday to get an update on their search. I'm still waiting for them to call me back. :) Oh well. That's the way it goes. I know not take it personally, but it is a bit discouraging.
That's my life to date. I'm getting excited to see some family soon!
Love!
~g
I have been growing increasingly dissatisfied with the Google website I set up to track my goals and progress. I am a big fan of Google, but their website interface is just a bit too simplistic of what I wanted the site to accomplish. Yesterday I decided to move everything to a blog. A blog will allow visitors to comment and gives me more options in regards to arranging and posting of information and pictures.
Justin sent me to the site where he gets most of his blog templates and, after playing around with a few, I settled on one to at least get the blog started. I spent a good portion of last night and the early morning hours creating a post for each goal, as well as generic posts. I also, with a bit of help from Justin, make (at least in my estimation) a lot of changes to the HTML code of the template itself. I figured out some of that on my own and Justin walked me through the rest. I felt massive proud of myself for making the blog look like I wanted it to and getting everything linked properly via HTML.
I am sure there will be more changes to come, perhaps even a whole new template in the future, but from now on you'll need to go here if you are interested in seeing how I'm doing on my goals!
In other news, pictures of my new car will be coming soon. It has rained darn near constantly since I picked the car up, and I'd like to get it washed and cleaned up before I take its picture. I do need suggestions for names! I know pictures will help but be thinking on names anyway. If you come up with any leave a comment!
I am getting serious about finding a job. I had been hoping to hear from a place out East and called yesterday to get an update on their search. I'm still waiting for them to call me back. :) Oh well. That's the way it goes. I know not take it personally, but it is a bit discouraging.
That's my life to date. I'm getting excited to see some family soon!
Love!
~g
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Growing up
I own my first car!
As I have somewhat hinted at in past posts, I have been looking for a car recently. It was just time in my life that I had one, and with Grandma Mabon's help I am able to afford a car now. It will certainly make finding and keeping a job much easier!
I looked for about 2 weeks, did some test drives, did a lot of internet research, and finally decided on a vehicle - a dark green 1999 Chrysler LHS. It has 87,500 miles on it, is in nearly perfect condition, and I was able to get a full service record and talk to the prior owners. It's a luxury sedan, with all-leather interior, all-power, and is overall totally sweet. And the trunk is large enough to stash 5 or 6 bodies. That could come in handy.
This is the car I negotiated the deal on this past Monday, and so Grandpa knew I might be getting a car this week. When he called yesterday to see if I needed him to run me anywhere I said yes. I had him take me to the nearest State Farm agent so I could line up insurance. I worked out with the agents what coverage I would need, and told them to wait for my call. As soon as I wrote the check for the car I called the agent and she activated the insurance. Perhaps I am a worry-wort, but I was not driving that car off the lot without it being fully covered. The actual process of buying the car was easy. The process of getting to the town where the car was is quite another story.
The car was in a town to the Northeast of me, a place called West Union. There is a town about 10 miles to the West of West Union called Hawkeye. My grandma and grandpa grew up in the Hawkeye area, and Grandma's brothers and sister are still there on adjoining farms, two of which are the original family farms. On our way to West Union we stopped at one of the brother's places (not the brother with the corn) to check in and say hello. As we sat talking a large storm front moved through, producing lots of thunder and rain. When the rain slackened we ran back to the truck to keep going to West Union, via Hawkeye.
I checked my phone when we got in the truck and noticed I had missed a call from Mom, so as Grandpa was driving toward Hawkeye I was listening to Mom's message. "Grace, there's a tornado warning for Hawkeye. The storm is supposed to hit there at 3:45. Call me." Hmm.. it's 3:44... I looked out my window as Grandpa's phone started ringing, and as I grabbed it to answer I watched a funnel cloud come down roughly two miles from us.
Holy shit.
We kept driving, getting into the town of Hawkeye itself. As we hit the city limits another funnel formed, this one a little over a mile away. The storm was moving toward West Union, which meant we held tight in Hawkeye for a bit. Grandpa made some calls to the family in the area, some of whom were most likely outside working. After he finished his calls we drove a bit further into Hawkeye and passed the fire station. The doors were wide open and the trucks were missing. There were firefighters standing outside the station, getting reports from spotters on hand-held radios. Grandpa whipped the truck around and pulled into the station to get the scoop from the firemen.
While he was talking to the firemen I got out of the truck so I could see the sky better and I called mom to get the latest radar reading. I don't think I have ever seen a storm move as quickly as those clouds were moving yesterday. Mom informed me that a cell was just finishing passing over Hawkeye and was headed straight for West Union. She also told me that there was another storm cell about 20 miles behind the one that were were currently under that was also headed to Hawkeye and West Union.
We waited at the fire station until the 'all clear' was given for Hawkeye, at which point Gramps was saying "Lets go get you a car!" We got out to the highway that would take us into West Union when I told him I wanted him to stop for a few minutes so the storm had time to pass over West Union and we wouldn't drive into in. From talking to Mom I knew we had a short window of clear skies, but I also felt we had the time to wait out the first cell.
Grandpa stopped on the side of the road for a few minutes and we just sat and watched the sky. When it looked a bit clearer up ahead we continued on, passing a storm spotter every half-mile or so. By simply looking behind we could see the next front coming in really quickly. We made it to the dealership with hardly any time to spare before the rain started again in earnest.
I had called the dealer a few hours earlier to let him know I was coming to get the car, but I think once the storms started he decided I wasn't coming (if I had known how bad it would get I wouldn't have gone). He looked a little surprised when Grandpa and I blew through the doors of the dealership, but he was ready to finalize the transaction.
We got set up and he was entering all the purchase information into the computer when the tornado sirens started blaring. They lasted about 45 seconds before shutting off. The dealer determined the sirens were a false alarm and kept going on the paperwork, taking about 20 minutes to finalize everything. Just like that, I became the owner of a car.
As Grandpa and I waited for the dealer to bring the car around we were looking out the front window of the dealership and watched as a tornado came down a few miles up the road. While watching that, out of the corner of my eye, I caught some movement and turned to see what it was. Not half a mile from where we were standing a tornado was forming from the ground up. Spookiest darn thing I've seen in a long time.
Both tornadoes quickly dissipated and the Western horizon was looking less threatening - white skies versus the rolling black and green above our heads. The minute the car was brought around I was out the door. I barely took the time to shake the dealer's hand and say thanks before jumping in my new car and heading due West. I wanted to get the hell out of Dodge.
I went directly back to State Farm to get my final insurance paperwork and pay for the next 6 months, and then it was straight home. My afternoon and evening had been long enough and I was ready to be in and done!
And that is the story of how I purchased my first car. :)
Pictures to come. I promise!
Love!
~g
As I have somewhat hinted at in past posts, I have been looking for a car recently. It was just time in my life that I had one, and with Grandma Mabon's help I am able to afford a car now. It will certainly make finding and keeping a job much easier!
I looked for about 2 weeks, did some test drives, did a lot of internet research, and finally decided on a vehicle - a dark green 1999 Chrysler LHS. It has 87,500 miles on it, is in nearly perfect condition, and I was able to get a full service record and talk to the prior owners. It's a luxury sedan, with all-leather interior, all-power, and is overall totally sweet. And the trunk is large enough to stash 5 or 6 bodies. That could come in handy.
This is the car I negotiated the deal on this past Monday, and so Grandpa knew I might be getting a car this week. When he called yesterday to see if I needed him to run me anywhere I said yes. I had him take me to the nearest State Farm agent so I could line up insurance. I worked out with the agents what coverage I would need, and told them to wait for my call. As soon as I wrote the check for the car I called the agent and she activated the insurance. Perhaps I am a worry-wort, but I was not driving that car off the lot without it being fully covered. The actual process of buying the car was easy. The process of getting to the town where the car was is quite another story.
The car was in a town to the Northeast of me, a place called West Union. There is a town about 10 miles to the West of West Union called Hawkeye. My grandma and grandpa grew up in the Hawkeye area, and Grandma's brothers and sister are still there on adjoining farms, two of which are the original family farms. On our way to West Union we stopped at one of the brother's places (not the brother with the corn) to check in and say hello. As we sat talking a large storm front moved through, producing lots of thunder and rain. When the rain slackened we ran back to the truck to keep going to West Union, via Hawkeye.
I checked my phone when we got in the truck and noticed I had missed a call from Mom, so as Grandpa was driving toward Hawkeye I was listening to Mom's message. "Grace, there's a tornado warning for Hawkeye. The storm is supposed to hit there at 3:45. Call me." Hmm.. it's 3:44... I looked out my window as Grandpa's phone started ringing, and as I grabbed it to answer I watched a funnel cloud come down roughly two miles from us.
Holy shit.
We kept driving, getting into the town of Hawkeye itself. As we hit the city limits another funnel formed, this one a little over a mile away. The storm was moving toward West Union, which meant we held tight in Hawkeye for a bit. Grandpa made some calls to the family in the area, some of whom were most likely outside working. After he finished his calls we drove a bit further into Hawkeye and passed the fire station. The doors were wide open and the trucks were missing. There were firefighters standing outside the station, getting reports from spotters on hand-held radios. Grandpa whipped the truck around and pulled into the station to get the scoop from the firemen.
While he was talking to the firemen I got out of the truck so I could see the sky better and I called mom to get the latest radar reading. I don't think I have ever seen a storm move as quickly as those clouds were moving yesterday. Mom informed me that a cell was just finishing passing over Hawkeye and was headed straight for West Union. She also told me that there was another storm cell about 20 miles behind the one that were were currently under that was also headed to Hawkeye and West Union.
We waited at the fire station until the 'all clear' was given for Hawkeye, at which point Gramps was saying "Lets go get you a car!" We got out to the highway that would take us into West Union when I told him I wanted him to stop for a few minutes so the storm had time to pass over West Union and we wouldn't drive into in. From talking to Mom I knew we had a short window of clear skies, but I also felt we had the time to wait out the first cell.
Grandpa stopped on the side of the road for a few minutes and we just sat and watched the sky. When it looked a bit clearer up ahead we continued on, passing a storm spotter every half-mile or so. By simply looking behind we could see the next front coming in really quickly. We made it to the dealership with hardly any time to spare before the rain started again in earnest.
I had called the dealer a few hours earlier to let him know I was coming to get the car, but I think once the storms started he decided I wasn't coming (if I had known how bad it would get I wouldn't have gone). He looked a little surprised when Grandpa and I blew through the doors of the dealership, but he was ready to finalize the transaction.
We got set up and he was entering all the purchase information into the computer when the tornado sirens started blaring. They lasted about 45 seconds before shutting off. The dealer determined the sirens were a false alarm and kept going on the paperwork, taking about 20 minutes to finalize everything. Just like that, I became the owner of a car.
As Grandpa and I waited for the dealer to bring the car around we were looking out the front window of the dealership and watched as a tornado came down a few miles up the road. While watching that, out of the corner of my eye, I caught some movement and turned to see what it was. Not half a mile from where we were standing a tornado was forming from the ground up. Spookiest darn thing I've seen in a long time.
Both tornadoes quickly dissipated and the Western horizon was looking less threatening - white skies versus the rolling black and green above our heads. The minute the car was brought around I was out the door. I barely took the time to shake the dealer's hand and say thanks before jumping in my new car and heading due West. I wanted to get the hell out of Dodge.
I went directly back to State Farm to get my final insurance paperwork and pay for the next 6 months, and then it was straight home. My afternoon and evening had been long enough and I was ready to be in and done!
And that is the story of how I purchased my first car. :)
Pictures to come. I promise!
Love!
~g
Monday, August 17, 2009
So much corn!
Grandma Mabon and I picked sweet corn at her brother's farm this morning. We cooked and froze it this afternoon.
Before today, I had never been cut by a corn plant, although I was well aware of how sharp the plant can be. In the process of breaking and removing the shank (the end part that connects the ear to the stalk) on an ear this morning, I got cut very badly on my right index finger. The cut is about half of the width of my finger, and roughly an inch deep. Think of the worst paper cut you have ever had, and multiply it by the a ridiculously large number of your choice. That is what a serious corn cut feels and looks like.
It took about an hour of solid pressure to get the bleeding to stop, during which time Grandma and I looked at a car I am considering buying. No official deal was made today, but the dealer and I did talk pricing. Apparently I am a ballsy negotiator. I was in the room dealing with the guy by myself, but Grandma was outside the door and heard a good portion of the conversation. I told Tony (the dealer) that I am seriously considering the car and that I wanted to talk conditions and pricing. I laid out for him what has to happen before I would even think of giving him a check. He then said that, with my conditions in place, the lowest he could go was $X.
This is the point where I asked him how he arrives at his asking price. I don't think Tony gets asked this much. He stuttered a bit, then told me his prices are based on the expected market value for the car, given its condition, years, and mileage, as well as regional trends in pricing for similar cars.
I told him that method made sense to me. I also told him that I, too, had priced out the car using several different sources, and that the asking price from the two most well-known sources was considerably lower than his price. I mentioned I had looked at the Blue Book value, which was $1000 below his price, as well as Edmunds Market Value calculations. He wanted to know what Edmunds price was. I told him I wasn't going to tell him because it would make him cry (about $2000 lower than his price).
It was at this point he started crunching the numbers, figuring final cost with tax, title, and license. I sat back and let him, because he was giving me a lot of information that I needed, and I didn't have to ask for it. Once he finished he asked me what I thought of the final number. I purposefully hesitated, looking at my own notes and taking some time to see what he would do next. When I took awhile to answer, he changed his question to, "What were you thinking for price?"
I told him that I could afford $X, cash. He said he couldn't go that low. I pointed out it was straight cash - immediate money in his pocket. He thought about it and told me he could sell me the car for $100 more than the offer I had given. I said I could live with that.
When it was all said and done I brought him down nearly $1000. Nothing has been signed for this deal and his mechanics still have some work to do so my questions and concerns are addressed, but overall it was a good day at the dealer's.
Grandma and I left the car place and headed back to Waterloo to her house. We got in and started shucking corn, with Grandpa and Uncle Joel's help, around 2 p.m. We finished all of the corn a little after 4, at which point the work became just Grandma's and mine.
Given my large cut had broken open and started bleeding during the shucking process, Grandma took on the job of cleaning the corn. Then it was my job to cook it and cool it. Grandma cut it off the ears, at which point I packaged it in quart-size freezer bags. We kept up this system the whole night, finally finishing around 9:30 p.m.
We ended up with 60 bags of corn. Grandma kept 20, we sent 20 to my aunt Sherre's house, and 20 came home with me. Grandma's brother still has corn that needs something done with it, but we are not volunteering for that task again!
I am starting to wonder if employment is overrated. Here I am, unemployed, and I'm learning and doing something new practically every week. This week I have learned how to pick and freeze corn and how to navigate a car deal. And this is only Monday!
Love!
~g
Before today, I had never been cut by a corn plant, although I was well aware of how sharp the plant can be. In the process of breaking and removing the shank (the end part that connects the ear to the stalk) on an ear this morning, I got cut very badly on my right index finger. The cut is about half of the width of my finger, and roughly an inch deep. Think of the worst paper cut you have ever had, and multiply it by the a ridiculously large number of your choice. That is what a serious corn cut feels and looks like.
It took about an hour of solid pressure to get the bleeding to stop, during which time Grandma and I looked at a car I am considering buying. No official deal was made today, but the dealer and I did talk pricing. Apparently I am a ballsy negotiator. I was in the room dealing with the guy by myself, but Grandma was outside the door and heard a good portion of the conversation. I told Tony (the dealer) that I am seriously considering the car and that I wanted to talk conditions and pricing. I laid out for him what has to happen before I would even think of giving him a check. He then said that, with my conditions in place, the lowest he could go was $X.
This is the point where I asked him how he arrives at his asking price. I don't think Tony gets asked this much. He stuttered a bit, then told me his prices are based on the expected market value for the car, given its condition, years, and mileage, as well as regional trends in pricing for similar cars.
I told him that method made sense to me. I also told him that I, too, had priced out the car using several different sources, and that the asking price from the two most well-known sources was considerably lower than his price. I mentioned I had looked at the Blue Book value, which was $1000 below his price, as well as Edmunds Market Value calculations. He wanted to know what Edmunds price was. I told him I wasn't going to tell him because it would make him cry (about $2000 lower than his price).
It was at this point he started crunching the numbers, figuring final cost with tax, title, and license. I sat back and let him, because he was giving me a lot of information that I needed, and I didn't have to ask for it. Once he finished he asked me what I thought of the final number. I purposefully hesitated, looking at my own notes and taking some time to see what he would do next. When I took awhile to answer, he changed his question to, "What were you thinking for price?"
I told him that I could afford $X, cash. He said he couldn't go that low. I pointed out it was straight cash - immediate money in his pocket. He thought about it and told me he could sell me the car for $100 more than the offer I had given. I said I could live with that.
When it was all said and done I brought him down nearly $1000. Nothing has been signed for this deal and his mechanics still have some work to do so my questions and concerns are addressed, but overall it was a good day at the dealer's.
Grandma and I left the car place and headed back to Waterloo to her house. We got in and started shucking corn, with Grandpa and Uncle Joel's help, around 2 p.m. We finished all of the corn a little after 4, at which point the work became just Grandma's and mine.
Given my large cut had broken open and started bleeding during the shucking process, Grandma took on the job of cleaning the corn. Then it was my job to cook it and cool it. Grandma cut it off the ears, at which point I packaged it in quart-size freezer bags. We kept up this system the whole night, finally finishing around 9:30 p.m.
We ended up with 60 bags of corn. Grandma kept 20, we sent 20 to my aunt Sherre's house, and 20 came home with me. Grandma's brother still has corn that needs something done with it, but we are not volunteering for that task again!
I am starting to wonder if employment is overrated. Here I am, unemployed, and I'm learning and doing something new practically every week. This week I have learned how to pick and freeze corn and how to navigate a car deal. And this is only Monday!
Love!
~g
Friday, August 7, 2009
Silence
I have not found much to write about in the last week. There was a birthday run to Minnesota to rescue stranded travelers, more canning of pickles with Justin's help, and a massive "Big Bang Theory" marathon (hilarious show - totally check it out!).
Saturday night Mom received a call from Justin letting her know that their flight from Minneapolis into Waterloo was canceled. The earliest flight they could get on was 24 hours later. Being only 3 hours from home, it was decided Mom and I would drive up Sunday morning to the hotel that the airline put them up in and bring them home. We executed the rescue mission flawlessly and are now Justin and Carrie's heroes forever and ever.
Monday Justin went out to check on the garden. I asked him to go ahead and pull any cucumbers that were ready while he was out there, which he was happy to do. He ended up pulling 35, making our total cucumber harvest thus far 125. I still had one package of pickle brine seasoning, so Tuesday Justin and I canned yet more pickles. We got 12 pints and 2 quarts of plain old dill before the brine ran out. I am now done with pickles! I don't care how many more cucumbers come out of the garden. I'm grateful Justin was helping with the pickling, given I seemed to be having an unbelievably stupid day. I managed to burn myself 3 times, including when I put my thumb directly on the hot burner, never once making the connection that it was hot and would burn me. That was a nice immediate blister.
Yesterday I did a lot of laundry. Clothes and sheets and towels and whatever else needed to be done. I also watched the first season of "The Big Bang Theory" online. I've seen clips and an occasional episode every now and again, and decided it was time to actually watch the shows in order. The show is hilarious and I highly recommend checking it out.
Hopefully this coming week I will be hearing about an application I submitted for a job that is ideal. Keep your fingers crossed.
That's about it. Boring life right now!
Love!
~g
Saturday night Mom received a call from Justin letting her know that their flight from Minneapolis into Waterloo was canceled. The earliest flight they could get on was 24 hours later. Being only 3 hours from home, it was decided Mom and I would drive up Sunday morning to the hotel that the airline put them up in and bring them home. We executed the rescue mission flawlessly and are now Justin and Carrie's heroes forever and ever.
Monday Justin went out to check on the garden. I asked him to go ahead and pull any cucumbers that were ready while he was out there, which he was happy to do. He ended up pulling 35, making our total cucumber harvest thus far 125. I still had one package of pickle brine seasoning, so Tuesday Justin and I canned yet more pickles. We got 12 pints and 2 quarts of plain old dill before the brine ran out. I am now done with pickles! I don't care how many more cucumbers come out of the garden. I'm grateful Justin was helping with the pickling, given I seemed to be having an unbelievably stupid day. I managed to burn myself 3 times, including when I put my thumb directly on the hot burner, never once making the connection that it was hot and would burn me. That was a nice immediate blister.
Yesterday I did a lot of laundry. Clothes and sheets and towels and whatever else needed to be done. I also watched the first season of "The Big Bang Theory" online. I've seen clips and an occasional episode every now and again, and decided it was time to actually watch the shows in order. The show is hilarious and I highly recommend checking it out.
Hopefully this coming week I will be hearing about an application I submitted for a job that is ideal. Keep your fingers crossed.
That's about it. Boring life right now!
Love!
~g
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Holy crap, canning!
Anyone passing by my house sometime between 4:20 and 4:30 pm CST today was treated to an incredibly loud, angry, and surprised expletive. I don't know exactly when I yelled, but I know it was sometime in those 10 minutes.
Let me explain. I was being stupid, and my stupidity resulted in the predictable outcome that occurs when one engages in stupid behavior... I got a little hurt and learned the lesson I already knew and yet was not adhering to.
I was filling a jar of pickles with brine and, rather than having the jar setting on a stable surface, I was holding it by the threads over the pan of brine (so as to catch brine spillage as I was pouring it in). I had already filled several jars this way and everything was going fine, but with this particular jar a bit of the just-below-boiling brine splashed onto the hand that was holding the jar. Of course, as is instinctual, my hand jerked and I let go of the jar, which then fell into the pot of just-below-boiling brine. BIG slash of very hot liquid! The splash covered the stove, the wall, the floor, and (big surprise), ME!
Hence the very loud, angry, and surprised expletive.
After that I filled the jars while they were sitting on a flat surface, despite the spillage issue.
Bytheway, I made pickles today. Lots and lots of pickles.
I knew I would get a lot of cucumbers out of the garden today and I'm busy the next few days, so something had to be done with them right away. I wasn't exactly planning on pulling out as many cucumbers as I did this morning. I was thinking I'd get maybe 20 or 30 today, which would have made for an easy day of canning and would have given me a chance to get my feet wet. I have canned before (albeit it has been many years), but never pickles and never by myself. I had hoped to start on the easier side to get comfortable and then do more next week.
I headed out to the garden about 10 am this morning and starting searching for cucumbers. I picked 10, then 20, then 30, then I lost count. It took me quite awhile to go through everything and haul them up to the house. I washed the cucumbers, not even bothering to count them until they were all done and laid out on a towel. At that point I took stock and found out I had picked 60. All laid out they looked something like this:
Well, there went the idea of starting out small. I had been planning on making the brine from scratch, but with the massive amounts of cucumbers and my inexperience with pickling and canning in general, it was at that point I decided a packaged spice mixture would most likely be the best route. I headed over to Waverly to WalMart, thinking I would find what I needed there. I called Dad while on the way to Waverly to confirm a packaged spice mixture would be just as good as putting everything together myself, and then headed into the store. Two complete turns around WalMart later, I still hadn't found what I needed. I stopped an employee to ask where the canning items were and was informed that particular store had not ordered any canning items this year. None. No lids, no rings, no jars, and no spice mixtures.
You've got to be freakin' kidding me!
Ok, go across the street the Farm and Fleet store. They had a canner and jar grabber, which I picked up, but no spice mixtures. Double are you freakin' kidding me?!
Alright. Head to Fareway. A turn around the store and nothing, so I once again approached an employee. He was a kind older gentleman who didn't seem to have a clue what I wanted, but he went to ask someone else and in the process found what I needed. Yayy Fareway for having Mrs. Wages canning mixes! I called Dad again to ask what the difference is between Kosher and regular dill (I know now), but got no answer. I tried standing in the pickle aisle with a package of each spice mix to see what the difference was, but that didn't work too well. I finally just decided to go with the kosher dill, which Dad later confirmed was the right choice.
Back home to start a very long afternoon and evening. I had mostly pint jars to work with which meant short spears and lots of chips. I learned today that 60 cucumbers takes a toll on the hand holding the knife. After cutting about half of the cucumbers I had developed a blister on my finger. Canning battle scars!
Canning is a process regardless, but having only one person to do it makes the whole project even more difficult. I was quite glad when Mom got home and was willing to help me. With two people the process was sped up quite a bit. Despite this, after making it through all of the kosher dill seasoning we still had half of the cucumbers to go. The process in process looked like this:
As I finished the last of the dills Mom ran to Waverly to get more seasoning and to pick up a pizza for supper. We decided that we had more than enough kosher dill pickles so the next batch when Mom got home was bread and butter. With so many jars of pickles we are invariably going to be giving away a lot and therefore wanted to have a variety of pickles available. Some people will like the sharp dills, and some will like the sweeter bread and butter.
By the time the last can was sealed and the dishes all done it was 10:30 pm. I had started the process around 2 pm. All told, 60 cucumbers yielded:
* 29 pints of kosher dill
* 1 quart of kosher dill
* 8 pints of bread and butter
* 5 quarts of bread and butter
(The white stuff on top of the lids is hard water deposits. Nothing we can do about that!)
In the process of canning pickles today I:
* Nearly severely cut myself 5 times (actual number of cuts = 0!)
* Was hit by boiling hot spitting water more times than I can count
* Broke one jar (coincidentally, not the one I dropped. That one came through unscathed)
* Perfected my cucumber slicing technique
As of last check, all but one jar has fully sealed. The one that hasn't sealed is really no surprise... it's not really a canning jar but rather a jelly jar on which lids and rims fit. I'm more than happy with the sealing rate, and the one that is open will give me a chance to test out the final product.
Per Dad's suggestion, I will be using today as one of my 101 goals. It was quite an arduous undertaking and certainly something I have never done before, so "Can pickles from cucumbers grown in my own garden" is a goal I now consider achieved. Woo!!!
There are still lots of cucumbers in the garden, but today was definitely the largest single-time harvest I will get. I am not sure what I will do with the cucumbers to come, but I still have one package of pickle seasoning that I can use. We'll see.
Tomorrow I am helping out with a Habitat volunteer event in the morning and early afternoon, then heading to Davenport with Gramps and Gram to help them set up a show on Friday. This is their last full season with their square dance store (WOOT!) and the work is really too much for two people. They don't need me to help during the actual show, but when the shows are close to home I go to help with unloading and set-up. After we finish setting up on Friday I'll drive home.
Saturday Justin and Carrie get back, and Sunday I turn 25. These will be a crazy few days!
My feet hurt and I am exhausted, so I'm going to bed now.
Love!
~g
P.S. Anyone want some pickles?
Let me explain. I was being stupid, and my stupidity resulted in the predictable outcome that occurs when one engages in stupid behavior... I got a little hurt and learned the lesson I already knew and yet was not adhering to.
I was filling a jar of pickles with brine and, rather than having the jar setting on a stable surface, I was holding it by the threads over the pan of brine (so as to catch brine spillage as I was pouring it in). I had already filled several jars this way and everything was going fine, but with this particular jar a bit of the just-below-boiling brine splashed onto the hand that was holding the jar. Of course, as is instinctual, my hand jerked and I let go of the jar, which then fell into the pot of just-below-boiling brine. BIG slash of very hot liquid! The splash covered the stove, the wall, the floor, and (big surprise), ME!
Hence the very loud, angry, and surprised expletive.
After that I filled the jars while they were sitting on a flat surface, despite the spillage issue.
Bytheway, I made pickles today. Lots and lots of pickles.
I knew I would get a lot of cucumbers out of the garden today and I'm busy the next few days, so something had to be done with them right away. I wasn't exactly planning on pulling out as many cucumbers as I did this morning. I was thinking I'd get maybe 20 or 30 today, which would have made for an easy day of canning and would have given me a chance to get my feet wet. I have canned before (albeit it has been many years), but never pickles and never by myself. I had hoped to start on the easier side to get comfortable and then do more next week.
I headed out to the garden about 10 am this morning and starting searching for cucumbers. I picked 10, then 20, then 30, then I lost count. It took me quite awhile to go through everything and haul them up to the house. I washed the cucumbers, not even bothering to count them until they were all done and laid out on a towel. At that point I took stock and found out I had picked 60. All laid out they looked something like this:
Well, there went the idea of starting out small. I had been planning on making the brine from scratch, but with the massive amounts of cucumbers and my inexperience with pickling and canning in general, it was at that point I decided a packaged spice mixture would most likely be the best route. I headed over to Waverly to WalMart, thinking I would find what I needed there. I called Dad while on the way to Waverly to confirm a packaged spice mixture would be just as good as putting everything together myself, and then headed into the store. Two complete turns around WalMart later, I still hadn't found what I needed. I stopped an employee to ask where the canning items were and was informed that particular store had not ordered any canning items this year. None. No lids, no rings, no jars, and no spice mixtures.
You've got to be freakin' kidding me!
Ok, go across the street the Farm and Fleet store. They had a canner and jar grabber, which I picked up, but no spice mixtures. Double are you freakin' kidding me?!
Alright. Head to Fareway. A turn around the store and nothing, so I once again approached an employee. He was a kind older gentleman who didn't seem to have a clue what I wanted, but he went to ask someone else and in the process found what I needed. Yayy Fareway for having Mrs. Wages canning mixes! I called Dad again to ask what the difference is between Kosher and regular dill (I know now), but got no answer. I tried standing in the pickle aisle with a package of each spice mix to see what the difference was, but that didn't work too well. I finally just decided to go with the kosher dill, which Dad later confirmed was the right choice.
Back home to start a very long afternoon and evening. I had mostly pint jars to work with which meant short spears and lots of chips. I learned today that 60 cucumbers takes a toll on the hand holding the knife. After cutting about half of the cucumbers I had developed a blister on my finger. Canning battle scars!
Canning is a process regardless, but having only one person to do it makes the whole project even more difficult. I was quite glad when Mom got home and was willing to help me. With two people the process was sped up quite a bit. Despite this, after making it through all of the kosher dill seasoning we still had half of the cucumbers to go. The process in process looked like this:
As I finished the last of the dills Mom ran to Waverly to get more seasoning and to pick up a pizza for supper. We decided that we had more than enough kosher dill pickles so the next batch when Mom got home was bread and butter. With so many jars of pickles we are invariably going to be giving away a lot and therefore wanted to have a variety of pickles available. Some people will like the sharp dills, and some will like the sweeter bread and butter.
By the time the last can was sealed and the dishes all done it was 10:30 pm. I had started the process around 2 pm. All told, 60 cucumbers yielded:
* 29 pints of kosher dill
* 1 quart of kosher dill
* 8 pints of bread and butter
* 5 quarts of bread and butter
(The white stuff on top of the lids is hard water deposits. Nothing we can do about that!)
In the process of canning pickles today I:
* Nearly severely cut myself 5 times (actual number of cuts = 0!)
* Was hit by boiling hot spitting water more times than I can count
* Broke one jar (coincidentally, not the one I dropped. That one came through unscathed)
* Perfected my cucumber slicing technique
As of last check, all but one jar has fully sealed. The one that hasn't sealed is really no surprise... it's not really a canning jar but rather a jelly jar on which lids and rims fit. I'm more than happy with the sealing rate, and the one that is open will give me a chance to test out the final product.
Per Dad's suggestion, I will be using today as one of my 101 goals. It was quite an arduous undertaking and certainly something I have never done before, so "Can pickles from cucumbers grown in my own garden" is a goal I now consider achieved. Woo!!!
There are still lots of cucumbers in the garden, but today was definitely the largest single-time harvest I will get. I am not sure what I will do with the cucumbers to come, but I still have one package of pickle seasoning that I can use. We'll see.
Tomorrow I am helping out with a Habitat volunteer event in the morning and early afternoon, then heading to Davenport with Gramps and Gram to help them set up a show on Friday. This is their last full season with their square dance store (WOOT!) and the work is really too much for two people. They don't need me to help during the actual show, but when the shows are close to home I go to help with unloading and set-up. After we finish setting up on Friday I'll drive home.
Saturday Justin and Carrie get back, and Sunday I turn 25. These will be a crazy few days!
My feet hurt and I am exhausted, so I'm going to bed now.
Love!
~g
P.S. Anyone want some pickles?
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Bugging Eyes
I decided to capitalize on this sudden productive mood and therefore spent another day in front of the computer. Today was all about my music files... getting albums in one folder, single songs into another (by artist), a file for Christmas, and a file for Soundtracks. As of tonight's stopping point (my eyes are freaking out and need a rest), I have:
209 Albums
82 Christmas songs (singles... this does not take into account the Christmas albums)
1,442 Singles
5 Soundtracks
57 Singles by unknown artists (figuring these out should be fun!)
All told, about 4,000 files I went through one-by-one and KEPT. This does not take into account the duplicates I deleted, which easily totaled over 1,000, nor does it take into account those files I just no longer wanted. I think I am about 1/2 way through everything, if not a little more, so hopefully I can finish this project tomorrow and then raid Justin's files! Most of my music collection is courtesy of my brothers. I love a family that shares. :)
I've been listening to a lot of different files today, particularly my Christmas collection. I am one of those people that loves Christmas music year-round... the message that is found in practically every song is applicable all year, and the music is just classic and beautiful. I really bring out the Christmas tunes around the first or second week in November, much to the chagrin of most of my past roommates.
I have also been looking up different pickle recipes today (thanks for the link, Cary!) because I am going to have to do something with all of these cucumbers. It would be a real waste for them to rot. I'll probably stop out to Grandma's tomorrow to see what she has for canning items, as well as get her advice. Maybe she and I can work together some day this week to put up pickles. If it works out you all know what you are getting for Christmas presents! I was just planning on dill pickles, but if anyone has suggestions for others, I'm open to it!
On a side note, thank you to those of you who leave comments on my blog. It's always fun and nice to see what people have to say. Plus, it just lets me know that people do read this craziness that I put out there on a semi-regular basis. Welcome, MercyScoop, to the blogging world and thanks for your thoughtful comment! I love it (usually) when I am given something to think on! I have been reading your blog and have found quite a lot that provokes me to think. Thanks for that.
Not much else to report. All is quiet on the home front. Time to remove myself from the computer and give my eyes and head a rest.
Love!
~g
209 Albums
82 Christmas songs (singles... this does not take into account the Christmas albums)
1,442 Singles
5 Soundtracks
57 Singles by unknown artists (figuring these out should be fun!)
All told, about 4,000 files I went through one-by-one and KEPT. This does not take into account the duplicates I deleted, which easily totaled over 1,000, nor does it take into account those files I just no longer wanted. I think I am about 1/2 way through everything, if not a little more, so hopefully I can finish this project tomorrow and then raid Justin's files! Most of my music collection is courtesy of my brothers. I love a family that shares. :)
I've been listening to a lot of different files today, particularly my Christmas collection. I am one of those people that loves Christmas music year-round... the message that is found in practically every song is applicable all year, and the music is just classic and beautiful. I really bring out the Christmas tunes around the first or second week in November, much to the chagrin of most of my past roommates.
I have also been looking up different pickle recipes today (thanks for the link, Cary!) because I am going to have to do something with all of these cucumbers. It would be a real waste for them to rot. I'll probably stop out to Grandma's tomorrow to see what she has for canning items, as well as get her advice. Maybe she and I can work together some day this week to put up pickles. If it works out you all know what you are getting for Christmas presents! I was just planning on dill pickles, but if anyone has suggestions for others, I'm open to it!
On a side note, thank you to those of you who leave comments on my blog. It's always fun and nice to see what people have to say. Plus, it just lets me know that people do read this craziness that I put out there on a semi-regular basis. Welcome, MercyScoop, to the blogging world and thanks for your thoughtful comment! I love it (usually) when I am given something to think on! I have been reading your blog and have found quite a lot that provokes me to think. Thanks for that.
Not much else to report. All is quiet on the home front. Time to remove myself from the computer and give my eyes and head a rest.
Love!
~g
Holy massive amounts of cucumbers Batman!
I really, really, really need those cucumber recipes (if you have any, that is).
I pulled 22 cucumbers out of the garden today. In about another 3 days I will easily get another 20-30 more. In a little over a week there will be about 30 more. And who knows after that. The plants are still flowering. I won't be too far off with calling a three-digit harvest!
I'll be giving away a lot of cucumbers to people. And figuring out how to make pickles. Maybe.
Once again I have learned to appreciate the wonder that is a desktop computer. A full mouse and keyboard, two screens, and a comfy chair make for a productive day. I spent a good amount of time this morning reviewing my 1001 for 101 website, making updates to goals I have in progress and to the site in general.
One of my goals is to clean up my massive music collection... many of the files are labeled differently and it can be hard to find a specific song or artist. I decided, after working on my goal website that today would be a good day to get started on the music project. I plugged my external hard drive into Justin's computer (Justin and Carrie currently are in possession of my laptop) and started cleaning up the files. I ended up not touching the music files, but my documents and photos are now in order and all duplicates are gone. I also, in the spirit of simplifying my life, deleted a lot of documents I no longer need. I still had things from high school that I kept backing up and transferring. They are gone now!
I will turn 25 in a week. I don't know where the first half of my twenties went! I think I am having a bit of a quarter-life crisis right now. I am definitely not where I imagined I would be at this stage of my life. What I find most interesting is not that my adult life thus far has not been what I thought it would, but that it could have been all I thought I wanted if I had not made a whole bunch of seemingly small, independent choices along the way.
Does that make sense to anyone but me? Even more interesting than the above observation is that I would not change many, if any, of those seemingly small choices. Life isn't what I thought it would be, but I am no longer certain I would still want that life if I'd gotten it when I thought I should have it.
This is going from bad to worse. It makes sense to me, though, and really that's all that matters since this space is all my own!
On an even more random note, Tucker has been unusually affectionate lately, as well as more vocal. My years with him are limited, and although I am by no means digging his grave, I have become a worried mama that notices every little change. Whenever something is different with Tucker I get a little freaked out. If I ever have a kid I'll have to be sure to not smother it with attentiveness and obsessiveness.
I really need to get back into a normal sleep schedule. This late night, late morning stuff seems more natural to my body, but it really shoots my day. Not that I have a reason to be up and about right now, but I will get a job here at some point and then I will need to start setting an alarm again. The longer I go without needing an alarm, the more I am convinced alarms are an evil creation.
I am typing pretty much everything that pops into my head, which is a sign to me that it's time to stop typing.
Love!
~g
I pulled 22 cucumbers out of the garden today. In about another 3 days I will easily get another 20-30 more. In a little over a week there will be about 30 more. And who knows after that. The plants are still flowering. I won't be too far off with calling a three-digit harvest!
I'll be giving away a lot of cucumbers to people. And figuring out how to make pickles. Maybe.
Once again I have learned to appreciate the wonder that is a desktop computer. A full mouse and keyboard, two screens, and a comfy chair make for a productive day. I spent a good amount of time this morning reviewing my 1001 for 101 website, making updates to goals I have in progress and to the site in general.
One of my goals is to clean up my massive music collection... many of the files are labeled differently and it can be hard to find a specific song or artist. I decided, after working on my goal website that today would be a good day to get started on the music project. I plugged my external hard drive into Justin's computer (Justin and Carrie currently are in possession of my laptop) and started cleaning up the files. I ended up not touching the music files, but my documents and photos are now in order and all duplicates are gone. I also, in the spirit of simplifying my life, deleted a lot of documents I no longer need. I still had things from high school that I kept backing up and transferring. They are gone now!
I will turn 25 in a week. I don't know where the first half of my twenties went! I think I am having a bit of a quarter-life crisis right now. I am definitely not where I imagined I would be at this stage of my life. What I find most interesting is not that my adult life thus far has not been what I thought it would, but that it could have been all I thought I wanted if I had not made a whole bunch of seemingly small, independent choices along the way.
Does that make sense to anyone but me? Even more interesting than the above observation is that I would not change many, if any, of those seemingly small choices. Life isn't what I thought it would be, but I am no longer certain I would still want that life if I'd gotten it when I thought I should have it.
This is going from bad to worse. It makes sense to me, though, and really that's all that matters since this space is all my own!
On an even more random note, Tucker has been unusually affectionate lately, as well as more vocal. My years with him are limited, and although I am by no means digging his grave, I have become a worried mama that notices every little change. Whenever something is different with Tucker I get a little freaked out. If I ever have a kid I'll have to be sure to not smother it with attentiveness and obsessiveness.
I really need to get back into a normal sleep schedule. This late night, late morning stuff seems more natural to my body, but it really shoots my day. Not that I have a reason to be up and about right now, but I will get a job here at some point and then I will need to start setting an alarm again. The longer I go without needing an alarm, the more I am convinced alarms are an evil creation.
I am typing pretty much everything that pops into my head, which is a sign to me that it's time to stop typing.
Love!
~g
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