We'll miss you, Mr. Beans

Brian's parents' dog passed away suddenly on July 3.  We'll miss his smiley, happy doggy face.

Stigmas and Silver Ribbons

Everybody is talking about this post by The Bloggess from last night.  If you haven't read it yet, you really, REALLY should.

When depression sufferers fight, recover and go into remission we seldom even know, simply because so many suffer in the dark…ashamed to admit something they see as a personal weakness…afraid that people will worry, and more afraid that they won’t.  We find ourselves unable to do anything but cling to the couch and force ourselves to breathe.

The simple fact that those of us that suffer from depression, or that love someone who does, are ashamed of it - that's unfortunately a heartrendingly true statement.  It's such a stigma, something that gets downplayed or openly mocked by so many people; even by those who have it.  And it's not just depression, but the whole litany of mental disorders - see, just saying "mental disorders" makes you automatically think "the crazies," doesn't it?  It's blatantly obvious that the common mindset about these diseases needs to change.

I hopped on teh Googles to see what sort of organizations are out there for education and support.  Here's what I've found, and wanted to share:

Silver Ribbon Coalition - An effort to promote awareness of brain disorders through the silver ribbon symbol.  They talk about how the red ribbon campaign for HIV/AIDS helped reduce the stigma hanging over that disease, and how the silver ribbon campaign hoped to do the same for brain disorders - and while they tout their success, obviously more needs to be done.  Their shop has some nice things.

No Kidding, Me Too! - Founded by Joe Pantoliano, NKM2 wants to make brain disease a common conversation through the media and entertainment industries.  Their board member list includes Robert Downey, Jr., Samuel L. Jackson, and a ton of other names whose voices would definitely lend credibility to the cause.  Their LifeLinks bracelets are pretty cool too.

NoStigmas - The post by The Bloggess proves the goal of NoStigmas - that by sharing our stories, we share hope.  Just knowing that we aren't alone in our struggles gives inspiration to others, and educates as well.

To Write Love on Her Arms - TWLOHA is probably the best known of the groups dedicated to this cause.  Their shirts can be seen on hipsters nationwide, they host concerts and events to raise awareness for teen depression and suicide prevention, and they recently won a $1 million grant from Chase based on Facebook votes.  The popularity of TWLOHA is inspiring, yet sometimes I wonder if the true message of the group gets lost.

It's taken some harsh realities for my mindset to change - I'm hoping that it doesn't take such unpleasant circumstances for others to change, too.  So show support, educate others, and let's destroy the stigmas.

Kiddie Stuff

(I figure the best thing to do is just keep on going like there wasn't any hiatus in writing at all.  Nope, nothing to see here...)

When I was a kid, our family Christmases were HUGE.  At the time, they didn't seem like anything unusual - 20-30 people at our place for the holidays was par for the course.  My sister and her family would come over from Seattle and stay for a few days, and my three brothers and their families were all local so they'd drive out on Christmas day for dinner.  It was chaotic, messy, and fun, but most of all it was our tradition.

There were a few years where the kids outnumbered the adults, so we did two Christmas trees - the pretty, sparkly, white-lighted formal one in the living room, and the kids' tree in the kitchen with the beaded fake candy garland, the felt and plastic toy ornaments, and gaudy multicolored lights.   I loved the formal tree, "Mom's tree" as Dad would call it, with her angels and crystal icicles and collectible glass ornaments.  She'd put velvet bows and gold garland on it, and it just shone and sparkled like one big neon "DO NOT TOUCH" sign.  The kids' tree, however, was right in the middle of the traffic zone in the kitchen - there was nothing breakable or fragile about it.  It was a rough-and-tumble tree, meant to be bumped and prodded and dug around under with abandon.  It wasn't pretty, and it was awesome to us kids that we had our very own tree.  But the sheer beauty of Mom's tree was captivating in a way that the kids' tree just couldn't hold a candle to.

 So you'd think that, as an adult, my taste in Christmas decor would run along the lines of my Mom's - sparkly, pretty, a bit more formal.  But when I look at my tree now I see that kids' tree.  I have the original candy garland, the wooden beads, and a lot of the kids' ornaments that we hung on the old tree.  B has contributed all of his ornaments that he made or had from his childhood.  Almost all of the new decorations that we've acquired follow this theme too - Beaker from The Muppets (he meeps "Ode to Joy" when you hit a button!), a GI Joe action figure, Strawberry Shortcake, Mr Potatohead, snowmen and S'moremen and felt Pac-Men and penguins.  I did go a little bit the other direction when I bought glass icicles and red velvet bows, but I think there's only three glass balls on the entire thing.  When you look at the tree, you definitely see the childhood memories of two 30-something-adults reflected there.  And I love it.

Inventory

I started thinking this morning about all the crafty projects I have that I'm either in the middle of, or that I have the stuff for but haven't started yet.

Crochet - I have a lot more yarn than I thought.  I got this great teal wool blend that I want to make a cardigan out of, and I have the supplies to make my cupcake hats and acorn hats, plus some leftovers from previous projects.  In fact I just started a pair of socks tonight using this fuzzy yarn that was originally going to be a blanket.  I also have been saving plastic bags from World Market to make "plarn" water bottle carriers out of.  But the good news is, I did manage to finish a project that had been languishing in my bag for about 7 months!

Quilt - My new bed quilt project is spread out on my work table, being pieced together a bit at a time.  I'm not in a hurry to finish it, since we won't use it until next summer, but since I don't know how long it will take to have it quilted, I should probably get on it.  I also have a box of t-shirts and sweatshirts that will be made into a cozy throw at some point too.  And lastly I have some leftover blocks from my pink quilt that I need to turn into shams or throw pillows.

Sewing - I have all the fabric and pattern to make an adorable messenger bag with an appliqued owl on it... sitting in one of my storage bins.  I also have a stack of dog food bags (the kind made of woven plastic) that I'm going to make into grocery bags,  leftover lampshade fabric and batting that I'm going to turn into a cat bed, and all sorts of other leftover fabric that I'm saving for... something.

Glass painting - I don't have any projects started, but I still have all the materials ready in case something comes up.  Same with batik stuff.

Beading - I bought some cool pendants on clearance, and have plans to make some things to add to my Etsy shop in time for Christmas... I just can't find the motivation right now to squint my way through the projects.

Cross stitch - I have a huge tote bag FULL of unfinished cross stitch projects, including a wedding announcement for my best friend who was married I forget how many YEARS ago now, but maybe I'll get this thing done for their 20th or 30th or 50th anniversary... There's also a Christmas stocking, a wall hanging of the Footprints poem, a baby announcement that I can't even remember who it was originally for, and maybe 2 or 3 other things that haven't even been started yet but I have the kits for them.

One good thing about having so many projects is when I get tired of it, or my hands/eyes get worn out, or when I'm on a TV marathon, or traveling, I can set down the boring/eyestraining/callous-forming/attention-stealing project and pick up one that's more interesting/uses-different-muscles/can-do-while-watching-the-tube.  So it's fun.  It just takes a bit of space to store it all.

Another good thing about being a Crafter-of-All-Trades is being able to come up with good gift ideas.  This list doesn't even include the things I'm making as gifts for other people, which I can't talk about here or I'd ruin the surprise, but know that there are a FEW of them.  Also if anybody wants something made for themselves or someone else, you know who to ask.  :-)

Up for a challenge..

The pattern (with some rows added to make it Queen size)

The fabric scheme, which matches the duvet my mom made

Getting a running start!

And, of course, my "Assistant."

The HELL.

I can't believe I forgot to post the end result of the kitchen repair fiasco.  The maintenance guys, whose praises I was singing, totally failed.  Sure the drain line got fixed, but when it came to patching the walls & repairing the cabinet they punched a hole through, well, let's just say a monkey could have done a better job.  Two weeks and a new set of maintenance guys later, the wall was fixed properly, and I got the blue paint up.  I did wind up using the Behr ultimate fancy whatever stuff with the primer in it, and it only took two coats, but lordy did that black & white monstrosity cover a multitude of sins.  Now every crack, bump, and uneven spot in the plaster sticks out like a sore thumb, but at least it's a pretty sore thumb.

We're still not sure if we're going to paint the living room.  We got our bookshelves arranged and art on the walls, and if you keep your eye-line pointed somewhat down it's really not that bad.  The palm trees are still ugly, but they're ignorable.  We've really just lost interest in trying to make this house better.  Which is sad, but really isn't that how renting is supposed to be?  I can't even bring myself to garden.

Beyond the kitchen, I survived another adventure - flying to Seattle, picking up a 10-foot moving truck, loading up furniture and stuff that my sister had been storing for me for the past 10 years, and driving back to Ohio with Mom following in her car.  o.O  It really wasn't all that bad though, and we made it in one piece with Mom only getting lost once (and that was the last HOUR of the trip, when trying to get off the Turnpike to get to the house!).  She's staying in the apartment at the in-law's house for the rest of the summer, and it's been fun having someone to shop and craft and generally rat around with.  Of course it's so much better because she's not staying at MY house - and she agrees with me on that too so I can get away with saying it!  :-)

Work is... meh.  There might be something happening at the bookstore for me, and the work-at-home job is still waiting on further negotiations, so it's the whole "up in the air" thing happening all over again.  Which is really getting old. 

Other than the "life update" I don't have much else to talk about I'm afraid.  But Mom and I are going shopping for fabric today - I'm starting a big quilt project, so I'll share all of that.

Welcome to my (boring, insignificant) world!

Oh, the joys of a house.

 So, our main drain line is busted & leaking down in the basement every time we shower/flush/wash.  Thank god for maintenance guys!  They were here for a good 3 hours last night finding the leak, & they're coming back today to replace the line.  I will have a big hole cut in the wall of my kitchen, but thankfully it will be covered by the cabinets.  And considering the walls in the kitchen are an ugly-ass black & white sponge faux finish nightmare, it'll be painted soon anyway.  (Blue, if you want to know... "French Court" by Behr.) 

Put DOWN the sponge...

The living room walls above the chair rail will be painted too, a plain tan to go with the sage green bottom half (right now the top is a metallic gold faux finish nightmare with added palm tree wallpaper border hideousness).

The 70's called, they want their metallic paint back.

The maintenance guys, bless their hearts, also found where the dishwasher was leaking - ok, not so much "leaking" as "dumping" - the drain line had been taken out of the utility sink & tucked up out of the way when the basement was painted, so it was draining straight on top of my brand new washing machine.  Yuuuuuck.  I had to run an empty cycle with vinegar in the dispenser to purge the grossness.

To add insult to injury, Jake has stress-peed on the carpet in the living & dining rooms lord knows how many times now, since the carpet is dark tan and we can't see it.  But we can smell it for sure.  Amazingly, the cats haven't done the same.  I think I'll try a good coating of baking powder first before renting a steam cleaner, just to neutralize the smell.  We use a baby gate on the stairs at night to prevent more accidents and are getting him back on a set potty schedule too.  He'll snap out of it soon - this has happened with each move so we know the drill now.

Keep up the shenanigans, mister, and you WILL wear a diaper.

We have to put in a temporary fence in the backyard to keep Jake from visiting the neighbors - he's on a cable tie, but it's a bit too long.  Plus we found out that the property lines in our neighborhood don't go from driveway to driveway, but that part of our backyard is actually the neighbor's.  They don't care, thankfully, but our plans to rip out the overgrown area under the tree now have to be approved by them.  Argh.

And of course, our garage floor is still gravel.  It's only been 2 weeks so I know we need to be patient, but B's tools are still in our storage unit and we have to have a place to put them by the end of the month so we can close that expense out.  We're probably going to have to put some planks or sheets of plywood down in the garage or something.

My mantra right now is "Our lease is up in a year, just a year..."

Surrounded by Boxes

Between the somewhat more time-filling schedule at the bookstore than I had anticipated, plus the scramble to find a place to live in Akron so B didn't have to commute 45 minutes every day, and then the subsequent move... I'm away from my desk, please leave a message and I'll get back to you as soon as I can.  If you need immediate assistance, press 1 for the operator.  Beeeeeeeep.

Long story short, we looked at seven different places in Akron, the first being awesome but too expensive, some in the middle that were just meh (and some that were yuck), to the last one which, strangely, has the same floorplan as the house we rented in Toledo.  It felt like home right away.  It has its downsides though - no fenced-in yard, so Jake has to be on a cable; fully carpeted; sump pump right in the middle of the basement floor (yick); neighbors literally rightherenextdoor; and no central air.  Which we thought would be manageable with the massive attic fan upstairs - open the windows at night & turn that sucker on, and in rushes the cool air... but unfortunately this only works when it's actually cool at night.  So we bought a portable air conditioner.  Emphasis not so much on the portable really, but easier than a window unit for sure.

But we're settling in, slowly but surely.  The cats stayed at B's parents' place until last night and are now exploring happily, Jake has "christened" the living room carpet already but at least it's a darker color so it doesn't show, we had some mildew on a few things from the storage unit that had to be cleaned, we finally got the basement carpet dried out after the homeowner's valiant effort with a steam cleaner, but most importantly, the beer glass collection is put away in the china display cabinet (which are almost identical to the ones we had in Toledo too).  We're still unpacking (the heat slowed me down a lot, plus the aforementioned crazy work schedule at the bookstore) and we have a wedding to attend this weekend so we probably won't get much further with it until late next week.  I'm off to Chicago for NeoCon on Monday & Tuesday, and B's new job leaves him wiped out when he gets home, so the non-essential stuff will just have to wait I guess.

Deprived

Normally I'm woken up at about 5-5:30 am by either B's alarm or a very obnoxious Lily yowling at the door. This morning, it was neither - instead, a bizarre dream about Castle, Beckett, and I trying to escape from a murderous cult that was holding us hostage. A murderous cult of teenage girls, no less. Beckett and I escaped first by locking ourselves in a public bathroom, but when Castle tried to sneak away to meet us, somebody threw a grenade into the hallway and we had to escape through the vent onto the roof.

And now that I would like to go back to sleep for another hour, Lily is raising a holy ruckus as usual. *sigh* It's always something.

But, on the unrelated bright side, I start working at the bookstore next Thursday, and B has another interview today for a job that is a much better fit for him. So prayers, wishes, & FGBVs for him would be much appreciated.

Shiny!!

I think the official Random Tuesday Thoughts meme died, but I'm doing one today anyway just because.

***
The neighbors behind us are having their landscaping guys do their leaf-blowing today.  It's a good day for it, because (a) it's a weekday, and everyone but me is at work, and (b) miraculously, it's not raining.  But, here's the incredibly stupid part (you knew this was coming, right?) - we live in the woods, and the dudes are leaf-blowing the wooded area.  As in, not lawn, WOODS.  Where the leaves are supposed to be.  *facepalm* I don't know whether to blame the homeowners or the dudes with the noisy backpacks, but either way - some people just should not be allowed near nature.
***
I finally broke down and bought two tee-shirts yesterday, thanks in part to Lucy and the Betties' discussion of great geeky shirts.  Holy crow, were there some awesome ones!  But these particular two that I bought have been on my wish-list for a while now.  I bought this one for B:

http://www.snorgtees.com/sugar-skull-trooper

And this one for me!

http://www.thinkgeek.com/tshirts-apparel/womens/bb00/

(It's hard to see, but the speech bubble says "Curse your sudden but inevitable betrayal!"  If you don't get it, you need to watch Firefly and then Serenity.  Look it up on Netflix, and thank me later.)

The one I REALLY want is this one:

But when I went to place my order a whole HOUR ago, the size I need was backordered.  NOW, when I go to get the link for the picture, it's in stock.  BOOO.  (Also, hint hint! I made a wishlist for the website!  Because I'm subtle like that. ;) )

***
Work has been going well, thanks for asking.  This initial project I've been working on is coming along smoothly, and while the *coughimpossiblecough* deadline won't quite be achieved, everyone is on the same page.  I'm not sure where we'll go from here - I'm hoping they'll keep me on for more projects, which sounds like a very real possibility.  But, there's another opportunity lurking in the shadows too, and I hope I won't have to choose between the two.  But I won't jinx it!  I won't!

I will say though, that I have an interview Friday for a part-time spot that's open at Barnes & Noble (the one in Akron where I worked before - I'm glad I stayed in touch with some of the people there!), so that will fill out my days nicely.  It'll be good to get out of the house too.

***
Why yes, Friday is my birthday!  How kind of you to remember.  :D  Oh, no big plans really.  We're going to see if we can get a table at the new B-Spot, Michael Symon's burger/brats/beer place.  Since we do live in Michael Symon's hometown after all... sorry, inside joke... okay I'll explain.  There was a commercial on Food Network or the Cooking Channel or something, with Michael Symon as the new spokesperson for Calphalon, and they were advertising a contest: "Win a trip to Michael Symon's hometown!!! And now we'll distract you with these SHINY POTS AND PANS!!"  Never at any point in the commercial did they mention that, well, that's actually Cleveland.  Yep, in Ohio.  No, there's really not anything more there, except OMG MICHAEL SYMON'S HOMETOWN.  When we saw it, B and I absolutely died laughing.  We could just imagine the winner: "WHOO HOO I WON!!  Wait, Cleveland??  Seriously??!  Ugh." 

But back to my birthday.  I'm turning 31.  THIRTY. ONE.  *shudder*  And yet, I'm buying myself tee-shirts with dinosaurs and geeky movie quotes on them.  I've got a death-grip on my youth, dammit!
Edited:  Oh holy snotballs people, I'm turning THIRTY TWO.  3-2.  Math was never my strong suit.  *headdesk*

But really, the only thing I want for my birthday this year is a house.  But I'll settle for gift cards or something from that wish list I mentioned.  (KIDDING.  No one had better get me ANYTHING.  Except B.  I want a house.) :P

Finally!!!

So it took a while, but I can finally say that I'm EMPLOYED!

I am officially working a an Independent Contractor for another furniture company outside Toledo - they're letting me work remotely from Cleveland, with a once-a-week trip to their office for physical work.  Our initial contract is for 3 months, to complete a certification in time for Neocon (a big trade show for interior design held in Chicago every June).  I'll be doing all the fun data collection & writing for the certification.  Once this initial phase is complete, we'll re-negotiate from there - either I will officially hang out my shingle as a Consultant and file all the paperwork to become an LLC, or I'll be hired on a full-time basis to manage this company's environmental stuff, just like at my last job.

I'll probably only go the LLC route if I can round up some more clients, and the easiest would be my two previous employers.  (Nudge nudge, Dave and Greg and Ian and Heather....  ;) )

I'll be honest, these first 3 months are kind of a "special introductory offer" - I'm not getting paid a whole heckuva lot, compared to the rest of the green business consulting world, but (a) they recognize that fact & it will definitely be part of the renegotiation, and (b) I'm definitely not turning away an opportunity like this just because they're not willing to pay me a higher rate that, frankly, I haven't proved I'm worth yet as a consultant.  So, I'm conceding the point for right now.  It's just nice to get a paycheck!

I'm still looking for a second part-time retail job, just to get me out of the house in the evenings.  Working from home is a brand-new experience for me, and I'm sure I'll get tired of not leaving the house!

B started his part-time summer job this week too.  He's working at the convention/event center in Akron as a houseman and caterer, something he's done in the past and that pays really well.  It'll be a good second job for him, especially if he's able to get this National Parks job he's pushing for!

We've also filled out the application to get pre-approved for a VA Home Loan, because it would honestly be cheaper and a better financial choice for us to buy a house than rent.  We're hoping to make an offer on an awesome little place not too far from here, but our realtor called last night & said there was another offer for it.  If we get our letter back tomorrow we might still be able to squeeze in, but we're not hanging all our hopes on it.  We'll see what happens, and if we miss out then we'll keep looking.  There's a ton on the market right now after all.

So, FINALLY, some good news to report!!  :D

Day Dreaming

Today, Lucy asked "What's your dream?"

***

Someday I will have...

...a house like this....

...with a room like this...

...and a garden like this...

...and like this too...

...and a studio/shop like this...

Courtesy of Ross Chapin Architects

...with this in our backyard.

McKenzie River, Oregon

I DEFY THEE, HUMAN!

"WHAT is in this bag?!  I MUST SHRED IT."

"Oh NO you DIDN'T."

"I'll teach YOU to squirt ME!"

Yes, when I squirt her with the spray bottle, she comes running as if she's going to fight the bottle or something.  She makes that goofy "ackackackack" noise that cat's make when they're hunting something, and gives me the evil eye.  Then 30 seconds later she's back doing whatever naughty thing she got in trouble for in the first place.

She's like a rebellious teenager - "You telling me 'no' just makes me want to do it even more!  So BITE ME, Human!"

(Also, whoever had the lame idea to caption cat pictures with so-called "LOLSpeak" obviously doesn't own a cat.)

I have no words.

Some folks were witness to this spectacle today.  If you missed it... OMG I DIED.  It took me forever to come up with any sort of comeback, and it was pretty lame too.  But I could NOT wipe the stupid grin off my face all day.

B, of course, gave me a high-five and told me to say that if Stana Katic (aka Beckett) was invited, to count him in too.

I failed to mention how the dream ended though... with me chickening out because I hadn't shaved my legs.  Man, I HATE when reality creeps in and ruins a perfectly good dream.

Mush

I absolutely do not have any motivation to blog lately.  There's nothing to say that hasn't already been beaten to a bloody pulp - I'm jobless, and it sucks, repeat on seemingly endless loop.  Even for RTT, I can't find anything worthwhile.



Except maybe this, which I hope you've already seen but if not, don't squee so loud you'll disturb the neighbors.

Yep, it's Pooh+Star Wars.  James Hance's collection of "Relentlessly Cheerful Art" brings even me out of a funk. 

I'm making this crocheted cardigan right now.  I was unreasonably anxious about trying to make an article of clothing, but the pattern instructions have been really easy to follow so now I'm on a roll and it's kinda fun.

I love our library here.  I've been drowning in new music and books since we got back, and I have a huge number of things still on request.  Included are several books on natural beauty and holistic medicine, which I'm fascinated with right now.  I want to try the oil cleansing method, and some remedies for thin hair - I don't have bald spots yet, but judging by the amount of hair that clogs the shower drain it's only a matter of time.  Expect a new post over at the green blog in a couple weeks once I've done some practical research on it.

Also if anyone has any music to recommend, tell me!  My iTunes can't get enough.

2010, The Year of the Stomach-Churning Carnival Ride (because I'm tired of saying "rollercoaster")

I've stolen this from Linda over at All & Sundry for the past couple years.


1. What did you do in 2010 that you’d never done before?
Filed for unemployment, drove round-trip from Ohio to Washington, opened my Etsy shop.

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

Nope and nope.  I canceled my gym membership soon after I lost my job, although I did get out and walk the dog more than before.  Every goal I set for myself tended to fall on its face this year, but hey, that's what a new year is all about, right?  Hope?  Right?

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?

Yes - what can I say, my friends tend to procreate like rabbits!

4. Did anyone close to you die?

No.

5. What countries did you visit?
I don't know if I'll answer this question the right way anytime soon, but I did drive through some new states - Minnesota, South Dakota and Iowa - on our There And Back Again quest.  We also visited some new towns in Oregon - Coos Bay, Bandon, and Bend - and saw some new parts of Montana too.

6. What would you like to have in 2011 that you lacked in 2010?
A damn job, and our own place again.  And a sense of peace and security.


7. What dates from 2010 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
January 28, and November 2 - the day I lost my job, and the day we gave up & drove back to Ohio.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?

Not letting my depression, anxiety, stress, and every other crazy emotion I dealt with this year get the better of me.

9. What was your biggest failure?
When I couldn't land a job in Washington or Oregon like I'd dreamed and wished and hoped for.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Some serious sciatica from sitting on the couch.

11. What was the best thing you bought?
I didn't buy anything major this year, but we sold a lot of things which was kind of cathartic.

12. Where did most of your money go?
Gas & travel.

13. What did you get really excited about?
Going west, and the interviews I had (all TWO of them).

14. What song will always remind you of 2010?
Zac Brown Band, Toes.  Because it's all about the ADIOS AND VAYA CON DIOS!  And Christian Kane's cover of Fast Car, which I'm sure some people will hate, but I love it.


15. Compared to this time last year, are you:

– happier or sadder? Sadder, good god, sadder.
– thinner or fatter? About the same - not eating as much, but not exercising either.
– richer or poorer? Poorer, good god, poorer!

16. What do you wish you’d done more of?

Spent more time with people while we were in Washington.

17. What do you wish you’d done less of?

Nothing.  Literally, sitting doing nothing.  I feel like I wasted a lot of time this year.

18. How did you spend Christmas?
We actually haven't celebrated Christmas yet - the plan is for January 2nd.  The bro-in-law will be home then, so we decided to wait.

19. What was your favorite TV program?
Castle.  I love me some Nathan Fillion.  And White Collar.  And Leverage and Bones still too.

20. What were your favorite books of the year?
I enjoyed The Alchemyst series by Michael Scott, and LOVED Boneshaker & Dreadnought by Cherie Priest.

21. What was your favorite music from this year?

Christian Kane, Zac Brown Band, The Black Keys.

22. What were your favorite films of the year?
Inception was AMAZING.  I also finally saw Zombieland, which YES, and Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day, which DOUBLE YES.  This year was more about catching up on Netflix from the comfort of the couch.

23. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I don't remember now - we were in the middle of packing up to get out of Toledo.  I turned 31.


24. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Getting my job back, or getting a new job, and getting to stay out west.

25. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2010?
Pajamas... yeah.

26. What kept you sane?
The irrefutable fact that there are hundreds if not thousands of other people dealing with the same situation that I am, and that I can't take this personally.  Also, the library, for keeping me in new music and good books, and the craft store for keeping me in crochet projects - busy hands = distracted mind.


27. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2010.

"Nobody gets to name you.  You are not forgettable.  You are not replaceable.  You are not your pain.  You're sacred and special and alive."  @jamietworkowski

***
Edited:  I noticed that Sundry cut out a few questions from years' past, so I added them back in here.

Whose behavior merited celebration?  B's brother, for packing up and just GOING where he wanted to be, and DAMN THE MAN.  *sigh*  Wish we could do that.

Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?  An organization that I will refrain from naming, and their lousy idea of basing their entire hiring process on a stupid online personality quiz.  Seriously, who does that??

What did you get really, really, really excited about?  "Moving."

Did you fall in love?  This is one that can remain edited out, I think.

What did you want and get?  Want and not get?  The chance to spend time with some of my family and friends... and the jobs that would have let us stay there.

Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy most?  Nathan Fillion.  His comic delivery is brilliant, and he's kinda cute too.  :-)

What political issue stirred you the most?  I honestly have stopped paying attention.  No matter what happens, there will always be people complaining and arguing, and I just can't stand it.

Who was the best new person you met?  My nephew's girlfriend was a lot of fun to spend time with, and some of B's brother's friends in Montana too.

Quote or song lyric that sums up this year:  "The world's a rollercoaster, and I am not strapped in..."  -Incubus, Wish You Were Here

Christmas Around Here

The holidays are a bit more mellow for us this year than in the past.  No place of our own, not much money for gifts, and dinner is being postponed a few days due to family travel.  But the timing of job interviews and so on has allowed us to relax a bit, which is all I can ask for.

Ashley over at The Accidental Olympian posted some (AWESOME) photos of what Christmas looks like to her, and set up a little linky doo-dad for folks to share their images too.  The apartment doesn't look like Christmas at all (right now, it looks like a pharmacy exploded in here what with all the cold remedies and kleenex boxes laying around).  

A bowl of Clementines and holiday beer caps is about as festive as it gets up here!

But downstairs in the main house the holiday spirit is in full swing.

And outside is the winter wonderland usually seen in NE Ohio this time of year.

Personalize a greeting

Positive Outlooks

I think it's a sign that we're doing the right thing when:

On the first day of our drive back to Ohio, I get a call to set up an interview...
On the last day, B gets a call to set up an interview too...
The sun shines, the roads are mostly clear, and we only encounter bad weather in the last 20 minutes of the whole trip...
And the cats are absolute angels in the car for the entire four days.

It's true!  My interview was last Tuesday (I know, I'm way behind with the updates) and it went really well.  B's was Friday, and it went really well too.  We probably won't hear anything else until after the holidays - I do know that I'll have a second interview then, and the job B applied for would start in January, so he'll hear a definite answer soon.  The catch is, B's is in Toledo, and mine is here in the Cleveland area - for those who don't know Ohio geography, they're two hours apart.  So we'll have to make a decision, but for now we're just going to enjoy the holidays.  

***

Driving around town, running errands or Christmas shopping, I keep seeing empty storefronts in really great areas.  It keeps reminding me of an idea I've had in the back of my mind for many years now - I want to have a little shop.  At first it was a little gift shop, with custom framing and local artists mixed in with collectibles and cards, located in a little cottage in the tourist district of a beach town.  I still think that'd be fun, but switch it to a craft shop with beads and yarn instead of the custom framing, and offering classes and perhaps a club of some sort, a sort of local co-op for crafters and artists to interact.  My friend Julie is a crafty bitch (or witch... literally!) like me, and she made a comment to me once about "subversive crafting" which I thought might be a fun name for a shop.  Then today I commented back on something she'd written, saying I was a "fickle crafter," which I think is a good one too.  I think with that one, I would have the opportunity to offer a wider variety of things - "when you can't decide what to create" or something like that. My heart was always set on a beach town, like Seaside, or even Port Townsend, but seeing some of the places around here that are open made me realize that I could do this anywhere, any time.

For right now, I've got my little Etsy shop up and running.  An idea like this takes capital, which I absolutely do not have.  So it'll sit on the back burner, simmering away, while I add new ideas and start saving some money.  

There and Back Again

In case you missed it on Twitter or Facebook, B and I are heading back to Ohio this week.  It wasn't a simple decision - a lot of things were taken into consideration.  But it all boils down to finding work, and unfortunately we're not finding it here.  It's easiest to explain it this way:

1. Yes, we have a free place to stay here, which is awesome.  However...
2. ... it's over an hour outside the city, so getting a temporary job is impossible.
3. And no, we don't want to get a rental while we work temp jobs, that'd be pretty pointless.
4. Between the two of us, we've applied for over 40 jobs out here...  
5. ...and between the two of us, we've had THREE interviews, two for jobs that we didn't take for our own reasons, and the third, well, B got hosed.  It's been more than just frustrating, let me tell you.
6. My unemployment benefits run out at the end of January, so it's sh*t-or-get-off-the-pot time.
7. On top of all this, our free place to stay is COLD.  I don't mind the snow, but when it's below zero outside and we can't keep it warmer than 50 degrees inside... something's gotta give.

Now, back in Ohio:

1. We also have a free place to stay, which is also awesome.
2. This free place to stay is actually WARM, with a gas fireplace even!
3. It's also located right in the heart of the suburbs, surrounded on all sides by places to get temp jobs.
4. B already has a temp job lined up out there, at the ski resort he used to work at.
5. All of our stuff is still out there, so we'd actually be able to use our winter coats and snow boots, among other things.

But the kicker is this: the government is currently handing out millions of dollars in grants toward the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, which means there are more watershed-type projects being started there, which means more jobs in B's field.  He's put in applications for a few already, including one with the group he did his internship with.  So the chances of B starting his career are pretty darn good out there.  And we've gotten the impression that the Northwest won't be hiring any transplanted Midwesterners anytime soon.

So we're loading back up, cats and dog and suitcases (plus a few more things that my aunt was storing for me), and heading back east.  I never would have thought it was possible to feel disappointed and excited all at the same time.