Because I've been so sick ...
It started last Saturday. I cough. And cough. And cough. And cough. And cough. And COUGH.
My skull feels too tight. My throat is lined with broken glass. My ribs are being chainsawed apart. I'm too exhausted to eat, let alone do anything else.
I'll be back when I'm better.
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Friday, February 17, 2012
Making Progress
Not as much as I'd like, but every little bit counts, right?
My original timeline for getting my new workroom done failed to account for how much my neck and shoulders would ache by bedtime, or how badly I would stiffen up overnight ...it also failed to account for how cold and damp the weather would be all this week. Therefore, the timeline has been revised. I work on the room every other day, and spend the in-between days catching up on paperwork, reading, mending, and knitting. (I'll post before, during, and after pics once the room is finished ... I might even post pics of the knitting projects I've done between priming/painting days.) And of course, the daily search for a job goes on.
The spackling that should have dried in eight hours took three days! Followed with an afternoon of sanding and dusting/sweeping. Two days later, the first coat of primer went on, and two days after that, the second coat ... let me tell you, no matter how good your primer says it is, one coat is not going to completely eradicate bright neon green!
Daughter P has come out on both priming days to help, bless her - she volunteered, I didn't ask. In fact, I was determined from the start that this is my project - mainly because Big Guy started grousing about how much he hates painting as soon as I mentioned re-doing the room. So far all I've asked him for is advice on what kind of spackle/filler to get, and if he offers to help I will thank him sweetly and decline. Something like "Oh, honey, it's so sweet of you to offer, but I'd really like to see if I can manage this on my own."
So far, the whole room is patched, sanded (except the floor) and primed. Tomorrow I'll finish off the ceiling; that's a smallish job, so I think I'll be able to do the walls and window on Sunday. Allowing two days for the paint to be completely dry everywhere, I'll fill the closet on Monday (it didn't get painted, just cleaned thoroughly), measure and hem the curtains on Tuesday, sand the floor and baseboards Wednesday, and by Thursday night I'd like to have all the furniture moved in. Friday will be for shelving books and organizing everything else, and then it's done! I can't even describe how much I'm looking forward to having a workroom I can actually work in!
* * * * * *
The job search is going about as well as I expected ... I've had two interviews so far, neither of which went anywhere. There are so few jobs posted that I qualify for, and so much competition for every opening. So I'm now signed up for a series of free workshops on such topics as creating a winning resume, writing killer over letters, searching the "hidden" job market, interviewing, and so on. I have nothing to lose and everything (i.e. employment) to gain.
My original timeline for getting my new workroom done failed to account for how much my neck and shoulders would ache by bedtime, or how badly I would stiffen up overnight ...it also failed to account for how cold and damp the weather would be all this week. Therefore, the timeline has been revised. I work on the room every other day, and spend the in-between days catching up on paperwork, reading, mending, and knitting. (I'll post before, during, and after pics once the room is finished ... I might even post pics of the knitting projects I've done between priming/painting days.) And of course, the daily search for a job goes on.
The spackling that should have dried in eight hours took three days! Followed with an afternoon of sanding and dusting/sweeping. Two days later, the first coat of primer went on, and two days after that, the second coat ... let me tell you, no matter how good your primer says it is, one coat is not going to completely eradicate bright neon green!
Daughter P has come out on both priming days to help, bless her - she volunteered, I didn't ask. In fact, I was determined from the start that this is my project - mainly because Big Guy started grousing about how much he hates painting as soon as I mentioned re-doing the room. So far all I've asked him for is advice on what kind of spackle/filler to get, and if he offers to help I will thank him sweetly and decline. Something like "Oh, honey, it's so sweet of you to offer, but I'd really like to see if I can manage this on my own."
So far, the whole room is patched, sanded (except the floor) and primed. Tomorrow I'll finish off the ceiling; that's a smallish job, so I think I'll be able to do the walls and window on Sunday. Allowing two days for the paint to be completely dry everywhere, I'll fill the closet on Monday (it didn't get painted, just cleaned thoroughly), measure and hem the curtains on Tuesday, sand the floor and baseboards Wednesday, and by Thursday night I'd like to have all the furniture moved in. Friday will be for shelving books and organizing everything else, and then it's done! I can't even describe how much I'm looking forward to having a workroom I can actually work in!
* * * * * *
The job search is going about as well as I expected ... I've had two interviews so far, neither of which went anywhere. There are so few jobs posted that I qualify for, and so much competition for every opening. So I'm now signed up for a series of free workshops on such topics as creating a winning resume, writing killer over letters, searching the "hidden" job market, interviewing, and so on. I have nothing to lose and everything (i.e. employment) to gain.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
The Hunt Continues
The job hunt, that is.
Yesterday I went over to the Employment Resource Centre, and got a referral to another local centre that does various workshops on resumes, cover letters, interviewing, and so on. I signed up for six of the workshops - it can't hurt! My work history - and job acquisition history - has been so full of serendipity over the last fifteen years that I really have very little experience with things like crafting a winning resume and acing an interview. All my jobs to date have either been through temp agencies, or through being sought out by employers. Flattering, but not presently useful!
Funnily enough, I actually had an interview today. A forwarding company had found my current resume (such as it is) on monster.ca, and called me to come in on about five hours' notice - was I glad I'd touched up the grey roots last week! The interview went well, though rather quickly, but I don't think I'll get the job. They seem to want someone with a lot more forwarding and NVOCC experience than I have. But you just never know ... as I told Big Guy when I got home, "It's always a fifty-fifty chance - either they hire me or they don't."
* * * * * *
Moving J went more smoothly than I'd expected, all things considered. We had everything loaded, moved, and unloaded, and the truck back at the rental place, by about 6 p.m. Friday. Her helpers were willing and able, nothing (that I know of) got broken, and I only hit my knees on the trailer hitch six times. My hands and wrists are still kind of sore, but I suspect some of that may be from a weekend spent almost entirely either knitting or winding yarn. Once I can get some clear table space (don't go there!) I now have three completed sweaters to sew together.
The room proceeds, albeit a bit more slowly than I'd originally planned. The walls, ceiling, and woodwork have all been washed, but I won't be doing the primer until my right wrist is less stiff and achy. So it looks like I'll be priming on Friday, and painting on Sunday and Monday. Furniture etc will start shifting Tuesday or Wednesday, since I want to give the paint plenty of time to harden up first.
* * * * * *
We got up this morning to another dry, sunny, beautiful (but very cold) day. I spent the time before I had to get ready for the interview wandering around the yard, making mental notes of everything I'd like to do to prepare for this year's garden, and thinking I'd get started on the winter debris cleanup tomorrow morning. All the fruit trees need pruning, the lawn needs a good raking to get rid of what the evergreens have been dropping on it all winter, and there are monster weeds everywhere. Naturally, the morning paper is predicting rain for the rest of the week ... It rains with monotonous regularity this time of year, especially on those rare occasions when I have the energy, the motivation, and the time to get out there and do something. Sigh. I may have to console myself with graph paper and seed packets.
Or maybe I'll start another sweater.
Yesterday I went over to the Employment Resource Centre, and got a referral to another local centre that does various workshops on resumes, cover letters, interviewing, and so on. I signed up for six of the workshops - it can't hurt! My work history - and job acquisition history - has been so full of serendipity over the last fifteen years that I really have very little experience with things like crafting a winning resume and acing an interview. All my jobs to date have either been through temp agencies, or through being sought out by employers. Flattering, but not presently useful!
Funnily enough, I actually had an interview today. A forwarding company had found my current resume (such as it is) on monster.ca, and called me to come in on about five hours' notice - was I glad I'd touched up the grey roots last week! The interview went well, though rather quickly, but I don't think I'll get the job. They seem to want someone with a lot more forwarding and NVOCC experience than I have. But you just never know ... as I told Big Guy when I got home, "It's always a fifty-fifty chance - either they hire me or they don't."
* * * * * *
Moving J went more smoothly than I'd expected, all things considered. We had everything loaded, moved, and unloaded, and the truck back at the rental place, by about 6 p.m. Friday. Her helpers were willing and able, nothing (that I know of) got broken, and I only hit my knees on the trailer hitch six times. My hands and wrists are still kind of sore, but I suspect some of that may be from a weekend spent almost entirely either knitting or winding yarn. Once I can get some clear table space (don't go there!) I now have three completed sweaters to sew together.
The room proceeds, albeit a bit more slowly than I'd originally planned. The walls, ceiling, and woodwork have all been washed, but I won't be doing the primer until my right wrist is less stiff and achy. So it looks like I'll be priming on Friday, and painting on Sunday and Monday. Furniture etc will start shifting Tuesday or Wednesday, since I want to give the paint plenty of time to harden up first.
* * * * * *
We got up this morning to another dry, sunny, beautiful (but very cold) day. I spent the time before I had to get ready for the interview wandering around the yard, making mental notes of everything I'd like to do to prepare for this year's garden, and thinking I'd get started on the winter debris cleanup tomorrow morning. All the fruit trees need pruning, the lawn needs a good raking to get rid of what the evergreens have been dropping on it all winter, and there are monster weeds everywhere. Naturally, the morning paper is predicting rain for the rest of the week ... It rains with monotonous regularity this time of year, especially on those rare occasions when I have the energy, the motivation, and the time to get out there and do something. Sigh. I may have to console myself with graph paper and seed packets.
Or maybe I'll start another sweater.
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Time Flies ...
... whether you're having fun or not.
So far today has been a complete waste of clean underwear.
The job search, of course, continues. I'm not finding many jobs to apply for, but I keep looking. One that I did apply for last week - a reception/customer service position - actually came through with an interview, for which I dutifully coloured my hair and shaved my legs last night. The interview was today, and I had fairly high hopes going in; everything listed in the posting was stuff I can almost do in my sleep. They seemed quite impressed with my resume, and it sounded like a job I'd want, and it was fairly close to home - ten minutes by car, just under half an hour by public transit. All in all, pretty much exactly what I've been looking for. Until they mentioned that the salary is $11 per hour. I was polite and didn't actually say out loud what I was thinking: Are you freakin' serious? I'm getting more than that from EI! I thanked them nicely for seeing me, indicated that I'd wait to hear from them, and came home hoping I don't. Hear from them, that is.
Upward (with luck) and onward, as they say. I'll keep looking.
It took three weeks, but I finally got through to a real human on the phone at EI. Yes, they do have programs for women over 55, for retraining and assistance getting back into the workforce. No, I can't come in and see someone about the programs, I need a referral. Yes, the local Employment Resource Centre can give me that referral. So I called the Centre. "Yes, we can give you that referral, but first you need to do at least one session with one of our counselors. No, you can't just come in, you need an appointment. Yes, we are taking appointments now - yours will be for Monday, February 6th." So now I have to hope that the time limit between applying for benefits and applying for the special programs doesn't run out before I can actually take my referral to the EI office, where I will no doubt have to make another appointment some time in the nebulous future. So far, the only saving grace is that both offices are within walking distance of home.
J moves on Friday, so tomorrow I'm off to the liquor store for as many boxes as I can cram into the car; I might make two or three trips. I'd rather have too many boxes than not enough! If there are any left over, well, that's what our recycling boxes are for. I still have the tape gun and some rolls of both tape and bubble wrap from when we moved here, so there's no need for her to buy any of the supplies U-Haul keeps trying to talk us into. Thursday will be for finishing the packing, and staging everything so that once her friends/helpers arrive on Friday it will all be ready to go into the truck. The truck will be here around 9 a.m. (I set up the rental for her last week, and she'll be paying cash when we return the truck) and her friends will start arriving around 10 a.m. or so.
We will miss her dreadfully, of course - she's the last one to leave home, and the place is going to seem pretty quiet for a while. But at the same time, she's almost 27 - it's time to empty the damn nest already. And as previously mentioned in other posts, I have plans for that room - and this one! I have the action plan all mapped out in my "Projects" notebook, the primer and paint are in the basement, and all that's left to do is draw a scale plan of the room and decide where the furniture etc will go.
An unforeseen consequence of having so much of her stuff staged in the living room already is that I have no flat surface left anywhere that's big enough to lay out the pieces of the green shell so I can sew them together. So I've modified my original resolution accordingly; I've started another sweater and will sew them both together as soon as there's space to set up my layout table. The new sweater is a classic vee-necked pullover with elbow-length sleeves, in a lovely soft caramel colour. I did break down and buy the yarn - for $4 at the thrift store. I was there to drop off a box of donations, but when I saw that yarn and realized there was enough to actually do something nice with, well, I just couldn't resist. The pattern is very plain, so it knits up fast; and I've used it before, so I know it will fit well and look good. The pattern is also old enough that it gives yarn amounts in ounces and needle sizes in the old British range! It calls for #9 and #11 needles; after some swatching I find that 3.25 mm and 3.75 mm are the ones I'll be using.
I've come to the conclusion that one of the really difficult things about J moving out will be getting Big Guy to scale back on the amount of food he cooks for every meal. We both hate waste, and I pointed out to him yesterday that I'd just had to throw two week-old baked potatoes in the compost. He cooked too many, the two left over got shoved to the back of the fridge and forgotten ... I can see that kind of thing happening more and more often if I don't find a way to stop it. In a way the potatoes aren't a total waste - we do use the compost in the vegetable garden - but it's the habit of cooking too much and then tossing it that I want to eliminate. There will just be the two of us from now on; there's no reason to cook six pork chops, or bake four or five potatoes, or open two cans of corn.
So the short- and long-term goals are:
Get J moved, which will basically be finished by Saturday.
Relax after the move by setting up my layout table and sewing together the pink sweater that's been ready for a while, the green shell I finished last week, and - if it's finished - the brown pullover I'm currently knitting. Sans interruptions, I should have at least the first two done by Monday.
Turn her old bedroom into my new workroom, turn my old workroom into a den/guest room. I think I'm looking at about a month, maybe two. Both rooms must be finished before mid-April, as that's when my good friend S arrives from Indiana for a two-week visit.
Persuade Big Guy to cook less and thus waste less food. I foresee an ongoing struggle with this - could take years. I'll keep you posted ...
This week's food waste tally so far: two smallish potatoes, six olives (they're not supposed to be hairy, right?) and a baby dill pickle that was turning blue.
So far today has been a complete waste of clean underwear.
The job search, of course, continues. I'm not finding many jobs to apply for, but I keep looking. One that I did apply for last week - a reception/customer service position - actually came through with an interview, for which I dutifully coloured my hair and shaved my legs last night. The interview was today, and I had fairly high hopes going in; everything listed in the posting was stuff I can almost do in my sleep. They seemed quite impressed with my resume, and it sounded like a job I'd want, and it was fairly close to home - ten minutes by car, just under half an hour by public transit. All in all, pretty much exactly what I've been looking for. Until they mentioned that the salary is $11 per hour. I was polite and didn't actually say out loud what I was thinking: Are you freakin' serious? I'm getting more than that from EI! I thanked them nicely for seeing me, indicated that I'd wait to hear from them, and came home hoping I don't. Hear from them, that is.
Upward (with luck) and onward, as they say. I'll keep looking.
It took three weeks, but I finally got through to a real human on the phone at EI. Yes, they do have programs for women over 55, for retraining and assistance getting back into the workforce. No, I can't come in and see someone about the programs, I need a referral. Yes, the local Employment Resource Centre can give me that referral. So I called the Centre. "Yes, we can give you that referral, but first you need to do at least one session with one of our counselors. No, you can't just come in, you need an appointment. Yes, we are taking appointments now - yours will be for Monday, February 6th." So now I have to hope that the time limit between applying for benefits and applying for the special programs doesn't run out before I can actually take my referral to the EI office, where I will no doubt have to make another appointment some time in the nebulous future. So far, the only saving grace is that both offices are within walking distance of home.
J moves on Friday, so tomorrow I'm off to the liquor store for as many boxes as I can cram into the car; I might make two or three trips. I'd rather have too many boxes than not enough! If there are any left over, well, that's what our recycling boxes are for. I still have the tape gun and some rolls of both tape and bubble wrap from when we moved here, so there's no need for her to buy any of the supplies U-Haul keeps trying to talk us into. Thursday will be for finishing the packing, and staging everything so that once her friends/helpers arrive on Friday it will all be ready to go into the truck. The truck will be here around 9 a.m. (I set up the rental for her last week, and she'll be paying cash when we return the truck) and her friends will start arriving around 10 a.m. or so.
We will miss her dreadfully, of course - she's the last one to leave home, and the place is going to seem pretty quiet for a while. But at the same time, she's almost 27 - it's time to empty the damn nest already. And as previously mentioned in other posts, I have plans for that room - and this one! I have the action plan all mapped out in my "Projects" notebook, the primer and paint are in the basement, and all that's left to do is draw a scale plan of the room and decide where the furniture etc will go.
An unforeseen consequence of having so much of her stuff staged in the living room already is that I have no flat surface left anywhere that's big enough to lay out the pieces of the green shell so I can sew them together. So I've modified my original resolution accordingly; I've started another sweater and will sew them both together as soon as there's space to set up my layout table. The new sweater is a classic vee-necked pullover with elbow-length sleeves, in a lovely soft caramel colour. I did break down and buy the yarn - for $4 at the thrift store. I was there to drop off a box of donations, but when I saw that yarn and realized there was enough to actually do something nice with, well, I just couldn't resist. The pattern is very plain, so it knits up fast; and I've used it before, so I know it will fit well and look good. The pattern is also old enough that it gives yarn amounts in ounces and needle sizes in the old British range! It calls for #9 and #11 needles; after some swatching I find that 3.25 mm and 3.75 mm are the ones I'll be using.
I've come to the conclusion that one of the really difficult things about J moving out will be getting Big Guy to scale back on the amount of food he cooks for every meal. We both hate waste, and I pointed out to him yesterday that I'd just had to throw two week-old baked potatoes in the compost. He cooked too many, the two left over got shoved to the back of the fridge and forgotten ... I can see that kind of thing happening more and more often if I don't find a way to stop it. In a way the potatoes aren't a total waste - we do use the compost in the vegetable garden - but it's the habit of cooking too much and then tossing it that I want to eliminate. There will just be the two of us from now on; there's no reason to cook six pork chops, or bake four or five potatoes, or open two cans of corn.
So the short- and long-term goals are:
Get J moved, which will basically be finished by Saturday.
Relax after the move by setting up my layout table and sewing together the pink sweater that's been ready for a while, the green shell I finished last week, and - if it's finished - the brown pullover I'm currently knitting. Sans interruptions, I should have at least the first two done by Monday.
Turn her old bedroom into my new workroom, turn my old workroom into a den/guest room. I think I'm looking at about a month, maybe two. Both rooms must be finished before mid-April, as that's when my good friend S arrives from Indiana for a two-week visit.
Persuade Big Guy to cook less and thus waste less food. I foresee an ongoing struggle with this - could take years. I'll keep you posted ...
This week's food waste tally so far: two smallish potatoes, six olives (they're not supposed to be hairy, right?) and a baby dill pickle that was turning blue.
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Recuperating
Last weekend was ... interesting. As in "May you live in interesting times."
Granted, there was some fairly severe (for this part of the world) winter weather going on. But it was disappointing to see just how many people who had promised to help with the move use the weather as an excuse not to. Yes, I can sympathize with the ones who were physically blocked in by ice, snow, downed trees, and broken power lines. But seriously, D - you couldn't walk four blocks to help pack and stage because "the weather is too nasty"? Besides, by Friday morning it was well above freezing and the rain had washed most of the snow and ice into Puget Sound. And with J's arm in a brace and sling, and B coughing up a kneecap every time he moved, they needed all the help they could get.
The helpers who did show up were awesome! They all worked their butts off in spite of bad weather and various ailments, and a lot more got done than we expected. And on Saturday morning, I made my usual inadvertent blood sacrifice - stabbed a finger with the utility knife trying to cut handholds in a box. It wasn't anything serious, but I did drip blood on one of the boxes. Within literally three minutes of me announcing that the "offering" had been made, the rain stopped, the wind died down, and the sun came out for the rest of the day. Coincidence? Maybe, maybe not. But when I announced on Sunday morning that I was not going to do it again, the rain returned and stayed all day ...
It was actually good to see just how much of the thirty-plus years' accumulation of stuff was not being moved. All the people who'd asked if they could leave things there "for a little while" and never came back were e-mailed with the news that the move was January 19th-20th-21st-22nd, and whatever was not claimed by the 22nd would be going to the dump. We estimate that almost one-third of what was in the house will end up at the dump or one of the local charities. And their new place is quite a bit smaller, so that anyone who asks if J and B can store anything for them will be told "No". I can really relate to that, as Big Guy has a relative who is a hoarder and who has tried repeatedly to use our place as a storage facility.
Apart from my jabbed finger, I only collected three bruises, which is a pretty low number for me. By the time I got home Sunday night, though, I was so stiff and sore all over that all I could do until this morning was lie on the couch and read or knit. Today (so far) I seem to be mostly recovered; the puncture has closed cleanly, the bruises are fading from purple to green, and most of my joints bend again. Just in time to help daughter J finish packing for her move next week. Yay.
Granted, there was some fairly severe (for this part of the world) winter weather going on. But it was disappointing to see just how many people who had promised to help with the move use the weather as an excuse not to. Yes, I can sympathize with the ones who were physically blocked in by ice, snow, downed trees, and broken power lines. But seriously, D - you couldn't walk four blocks to help pack and stage because "the weather is too nasty"? Besides, by Friday morning it was well above freezing and the rain had washed most of the snow and ice into Puget Sound. And with J's arm in a brace and sling, and B coughing up a kneecap every time he moved, they needed all the help they could get.
The helpers who did show up were awesome! They all worked their butts off in spite of bad weather and various ailments, and a lot more got done than we expected. And on Saturday morning, I made my usual inadvertent blood sacrifice - stabbed a finger with the utility knife trying to cut handholds in a box. It wasn't anything serious, but I did drip blood on one of the boxes. Within literally three minutes of me announcing that the "offering" had been made, the rain stopped, the wind died down, and the sun came out for the rest of the day. Coincidence? Maybe, maybe not. But when I announced on Sunday morning that I was not going to do it again, the rain returned and stayed all day ...
It was actually good to see just how much of the thirty-plus years' accumulation of stuff was not being moved. All the people who'd asked if they could leave things there "for a little while" and never came back were e-mailed with the news that the move was January 19th-20th-21st-22nd, and whatever was not claimed by the 22nd would be going to the dump. We estimate that almost one-third of what was in the house will end up at the dump or one of the local charities. And their new place is quite a bit smaller, so that anyone who asks if J and B can store anything for them will be told "No". I can really relate to that, as Big Guy has a relative who is a hoarder and who has tried repeatedly to use our place as a storage facility.
Apart from my jabbed finger, I only collected three bruises, which is a pretty low number for me. By the time I got home Sunday night, though, I was so stiff and sore all over that all I could do until this morning was lie on the couch and read or knit. Today (so far) I seem to be mostly recovered; the puncture has closed cleanly, the bruises are fading from purple to green, and most of my joints bend again. Just in time to help daughter J finish packing for her move next week. Yay.
Sunday, January 15, 2012
A Slow Week
I really don't feel as though I really accomplished anything this week. Things would start well, but end badly, or not end at all ...
The pantry cleanup I had planned got bogged down almost immediately. I'd look at the date on something and set it aside to be disposed of; Big Guy would promptly put it right back on the shelf. I'd show him something with the comment that I didn't know where it had come from but I knew none of us would ever eat it, and Big Guy would take it out of my hands and put it back on the shelf. I'd remark that it would take us twelve years to eat that many cans of whatever, and could I donate some to the food bank? No, he'd say, he bought that for my work lunches and when he's in the mood for it he'll eat it. Finally I gave up and came in here to do some mending. Plan B now comes into play; that's where I sneak one or two things a week out, so he writes the attrition off to normal usage. Devious and underhanded, I admit, but effective! And without any more arguments ... anything (well, almost) to maintain a semblance of domestic harmony, I say.
One of my resolutions was to use what I already have in the way of fabric, yarn, etc. So on Tuesday I dug through the yarn stash, pulled out some lovely pale green stuff, found a sleeveless sweater pattern that called for that amount, and started knitting. That lovely yarn worked up so fast I had finished the back and most of the front before I realized ... if I wore it I'd look like a peeled kiwi. On its side. Wilting badly. There was just no way it would ever fit the way I'd pictured it, even under a blazer, no matter how much I tweaked the pattern. And I'm not very good at that with knitting patterns ... Sewing patterns are easy to adapt; all I need is my dress form, the pattern, some scissors, and a roll of tape. But altering a knitting pattern properly calls for ::shudder:: real math. And there's not a math bone in my body. Sigh.
So I did what any knitter would do. I ripped it all apart and started over. But ... not until after I'd dug out a different pattern (an "old faithful" I know will fit me properly), weighed the yarn to make sure I had enough, and done a swatch to make sure I had the right gauge. All of which, yes, I should have done the first time. At the same time, I matched up several other batches of yarn with patterns; now the trick is to remember resolution #2 and finish the sweater I'm working on before I start another one!
I've been spending hours every day on the job search. I had no idea how many job boards, employment websites, and job listings there were! And in all of them, I've found ... nothing. Nada. Rien. Bupkus. Every job posted all week fell into one of three categories:
Minimum wage for part-time hours spent entirely on one's feet.
Commission-only sales.
"Live-in personal/home assistant / mother's helper" - again for minimum wage, less room & board. In other words, half of minimum wage paid for 8 hours a day, in exchange for being a personal slave round the clock.
Oh, well. At least I got some of the mending done ... And I'm halfway through my college course on climate change. Next course - either oceanography or economics - haven't quite narrowed it down to one yet.
Friday evening, as usual, was movie night at Mom's with sister S. We watched a classic comedy, "Mr Blandings Builds His Dream House" - a great favourite with S and me. Mom, however, didn't enjoy it that much but had the grace not to say so until it was over. Then again, she's insisted we sit through a few that she loved but which left us going "Meh ...". It wasn't until we were done with the movie and were just sitting around chatting that we noticed it was snowing.
Now, I hate snow. I particularly hate driving in snow; not because I can't, but because so few other drivers can. So naturally this was the first evening in months I'd actually driven to Mom's instead of taking the train; usually I'd just go straight there from work on Fridays and have dinner with Mom before S arrived for the movie. But this week I didn't have change handy for the train (no transit pass, since I'm not commuting daily any more), and there was gas in the car. Bravely fighting back the words "Mom, can I stay here until spring?", I got back in the car and drove home through what was, for this area, a veritable blizzard. Let me tell you, playing dodge'em with idiot drivers you can barely see is not my idea of a good way to end a pleasant Friday evening!
My friend D is going down to Seattle next weekend for Rustycon, so I'll be catching a ride as far as Ballard to spend the weekend with Best Friend. Always good times when we get together! I will, of course, have a knitting project with me - probably the next sweater on the list. Right now, I'm going to see how far I can get with the green one tonight.
The pantry cleanup I had planned got bogged down almost immediately. I'd look at the date on something and set it aside to be disposed of; Big Guy would promptly put it right back on the shelf. I'd show him something with the comment that I didn't know where it had come from but I knew none of us would ever eat it, and Big Guy would take it out of my hands and put it back on the shelf. I'd remark that it would take us twelve years to eat that many cans of whatever, and could I donate some to the food bank? No, he'd say, he bought that for my work lunches and when he's in the mood for it he'll eat it. Finally I gave up and came in here to do some mending. Plan B now comes into play; that's where I sneak one or two things a week out, so he writes the attrition off to normal usage. Devious and underhanded, I admit, but effective! And without any more arguments ... anything (well, almost) to maintain a semblance of domestic harmony, I say.
One of my resolutions was to use what I already have in the way of fabric, yarn, etc. So on Tuesday I dug through the yarn stash, pulled out some lovely pale green stuff, found a sleeveless sweater pattern that called for that amount, and started knitting. That lovely yarn worked up so fast I had finished the back and most of the front before I realized ... if I wore it I'd look like a peeled kiwi. On its side. Wilting badly. There was just no way it would ever fit the way I'd pictured it, even under a blazer, no matter how much I tweaked the pattern. And I'm not very good at that with knitting patterns ... Sewing patterns are easy to adapt; all I need is my dress form, the pattern, some scissors, and a roll of tape. But altering a knitting pattern properly calls for ::shudder:: real math. And there's not a math bone in my body. Sigh.
So I did what any knitter would do. I ripped it all apart and started over. But ... not until after I'd dug out a different pattern (an "old faithful" I know will fit me properly), weighed the yarn to make sure I had enough, and done a swatch to make sure I had the right gauge. All of which, yes, I should have done the first time. At the same time, I matched up several other batches of yarn with patterns; now the trick is to remember resolution #2 and finish the sweater I'm working on before I start another one!
I've been spending hours every day on the job search. I had no idea how many job boards, employment websites, and job listings there were! And in all of them, I've found ... nothing. Nada. Rien. Bupkus. Every job posted all week fell into one of three categories:
Minimum wage for part-time hours spent entirely on one's feet.
Commission-only sales.
"Live-in personal/home assistant / mother's helper" - again for minimum wage, less room & board. In other words, half of minimum wage paid for 8 hours a day, in exchange for being a personal slave round the clock.
Oh, well. At least I got some of the mending done ... And I'm halfway through my college course on climate change. Next course - either oceanography or economics - haven't quite narrowed it down to one yet.
Friday evening, as usual, was movie night at Mom's with sister S. We watched a classic comedy, "Mr Blandings Builds His Dream House" - a great favourite with S and me. Mom, however, didn't enjoy it that much but had the grace not to say so until it was over. Then again, she's insisted we sit through a few that she loved but which left us going "Meh ...". It wasn't until we were done with the movie and were just sitting around chatting that we noticed it was snowing.
Now, I hate snow. I particularly hate driving in snow; not because I can't, but because so few other drivers can. So naturally this was the first evening in months I'd actually driven to Mom's instead of taking the train; usually I'd just go straight there from work on Fridays and have dinner with Mom before S arrived for the movie. But this week I didn't have change handy for the train (no transit pass, since I'm not commuting daily any more), and there was gas in the car. Bravely fighting back the words "Mom, can I stay here until spring?", I got back in the car and drove home through what was, for this area, a veritable blizzard. Let me tell you, playing dodge'em with idiot drivers you can barely see is not my idea of a good way to end a pleasant Friday evening!
My friend D is going down to Seattle next weekend for Rustycon, so I'll be catching a ride as far as Ballard to spend the weekend with Best Friend. Always good times when we get together! I will, of course, have a knitting project with me - probably the next sweater on the list. Right now, I'm going to see how far I can get with the green one tonight.
Sunday, January 8, 2012
One Week In
A week into 2012, and not a lot to show for it so far ... except on paper.
I've been on the internet for at least four hours every day, and so far have found exactly three jobs worth applying for. The rest are all either minimum-wage, which wouldn't even come close to paying my share of the mortgage let alone anything else, or commission-only sales, or jobs I'm not even remotely qualified for. I can hear you now ... "Take the minimum-wage job while you look for something else!" No. If I can't find a job that pays enough to live on, I'm better off collecting EI and not working. And believe me, minimum wage would be far less than EI. Besides, that's why it's called Employment Insurance. I've paid more into it over the years than I will ever collect, and I'm not taking anything I'm not entitled to.
Apart from the job search, I have been getting things done, though you'd never know it by looking around the house! All the holiday paraphernalia is packed up & stowed away and the mending pile is shrinking visibly at last. And I've been making plans ... not just in my head, but in my "Projects" notebook ... complete with action timelines.
One thing about cleaning out the basement really hit a nerve with me. We found a tall stack of boxes that had been shoved way in a dark back corner behind the old furnace when we first moved in. After seeing what was in them all, I sadly realized that it all had to go, due to age and potential health hazards ... nine cases of home-canned fruit, jams, and relishes, all dated 2004 or earlier. Lids into the recycling, contents into the compost, jars washed and stored away ... that much waste just hurts. I try to comfort myself with the knowledge that it will never happen again; as soon as the shelving is all put up in the basement, I'll be organizing the "home-canning centre" to make sure all the home-canned food gets properly rotated and eaten while it's still good. Which also means that since there's just the two of us (as of the end of this month), I won't be canning in massive quantities any more, except for the jams and jellies I plan to give as gifts. I suspect that when the boxes were first put there - not by me, I assure you - they were moved with a dolly as one stack, and someone thought they were boxes of empty jars. That won't happen any more either; all the empty jars are being packed into milk crates, so we can tell at a glance that they're empties. The full jars will go into labelled and dated cardboard boxes, with a tally sheet on the front of each box so we can also see right away how many jars we have left of pickles or salmon or applesauce or whatever.
Tomorrow's afternoon project is a pantry cleanout and inventory. Since Big Guy does almost all the cooking, he also does almost all the grocery shopping. But he's short on patience and has admitted he can't see what he's looking for if it isn't exactly where he expects it to be, and the result is that he tends to go out and buy stuff we already have. Case in point: in various cabinets in the kitchen, while helping him look for egg noodles, I found eight - yes, eight - packages of elbow macaroni ... but no egg noodles. The really tricky part will be persuading him to mark something off the list when he uses it, so we can keep track of what we have plenty of and what we're almost out of. I can see myself going through the shelves every week and updating the inventory. Sigh.
I've also begun making a detailed inventory of all my sewing, knitting, and craft supplies and equipment. As soon as I've completed the move into J's old room, I'll be able to start putting things together for next fall's craft sales and this summer's Renaissance Faire booth, as well as the items I want to make as gifts for birthdays and next Christmas. I've already gone through my clothing-fabric stash, and paired up each length with the pattern I plan to use it for, and the necessary notions such as thread, buttons, and zippers. Next week I'll do the same with the yarn stash and knitting patterns. I must admit I'm not looking forward to measuring myself all over and adjusting my dressmaker dummy accordingly. But it will be so nice to be able to look at the "to make" list, pick something from it, and actually have the working space to do it!
This year, as stocking-stuffers for Big Guy, I knitted some wool frypan-handle holders. His mother used to send him a batch every few years, but since she died the collection has gradually eroded down to two, both very ratty and almost completely worn out. Well, he loves them! Not only that, but he's going to take a couple with him on his next trip to his favourite outdoor store, to see if they'd be interested in buying them from me as a regular thing. I told him even if they are, whether or not I go for it will depend on how much they're willing to pay me for them; they're a business, not a charity, and will need to put enough markup on them to make it worth their while to carry them. So the main considerations are how much they'd pay me, and how cheaply I can find a source of good-quality pure wool ... definitely not something I can pick up at thrift stores! In the meantime, I can use up the rest of the wool I bought for a few to put away for the craft sales; I can easily knock out six or eight of them a day.
Have I mentioned the university courses I have on DVD? Earth sciences, economics, oceanography, anthropology, history, climatology, and astronomy - now I have to decide where to start! Each course is a series of half-hour lectures, with accompanying guidebook and suggested reading list - but I want to start them all first! And I have a lovely tall stack of new books, all received as Christmas / Yule gifts ... does this qualify as an "embarrassment of riches"? It does to me! I'm sorely tempted to put the job search on hold while I read, and watch lectures, and work on all my future craft projects and wardrobe additions ... sometimes being a responsible adult has a downside.
I'm ending this post with a question, and hoping someone out there has read this far and perhaps can answer it.
This year, I want to learn to knit socks. However, I can't wear wool ... do knitting patterns for wool socks work just as well with synthetic yarns? I'll be grateful for any and all advice received!
I've been on the internet for at least four hours every day, and so far have found exactly three jobs worth applying for. The rest are all either minimum-wage, which wouldn't even come close to paying my share of the mortgage let alone anything else, or commission-only sales, or jobs I'm not even remotely qualified for. I can hear you now ... "Take the minimum-wage job while you look for something else!" No. If I can't find a job that pays enough to live on, I'm better off collecting EI and not working. And believe me, minimum wage would be far less than EI. Besides, that's why it's called Employment Insurance. I've paid more into it over the years than I will ever collect, and I'm not taking anything I'm not entitled to.
Apart from the job search, I have been getting things done, though you'd never know it by looking around the house! All the holiday paraphernalia is packed up & stowed away and the mending pile is shrinking visibly at last. And I've been making plans ... not just in my head, but in my "Projects" notebook ... complete with action timelines.
One thing about cleaning out the basement really hit a nerve with me. We found a tall stack of boxes that had been shoved way in a dark back corner behind the old furnace when we first moved in. After seeing what was in them all, I sadly realized that it all had to go, due to age and potential health hazards ... nine cases of home-canned fruit, jams, and relishes, all dated 2004 or earlier. Lids into the recycling, contents into the compost, jars washed and stored away ... that much waste just hurts. I try to comfort myself with the knowledge that it will never happen again; as soon as the shelving is all put up in the basement, I'll be organizing the "home-canning centre" to make sure all the home-canned food gets properly rotated and eaten while it's still good. Which also means that since there's just the two of us (as of the end of this month), I won't be canning in massive quantities any more, except for the jams and jellies I plan to give as gifts. I suspect that when the boxes were first put there - not by me, I assure you - they were moved with a dolly as one stack, and someone thought they were boxes of empty jars. That won't happen any more either; all the empty jars are being packed into milk crates, so we can tell at a glance that they're empties. The full jars will go into labelled and dated cardboard boxes, with a tally sheet on the front of each box so we can also see right away how many jars we have left of pickles or salmon or applesauce or whatever.
Tomorrow's afternoon project is a pantry cleanout and inventory. Since Big Guy does almost all the cooking, he also does almost all the grocery shopping. But he's short on patience and has admitted he can't see what he's looking for if it isn't exactly where he expects it to be, and the result is that he tends to go out and buy stuff we already have. Case in point: in various cabinets in the kitchen, while helping him look for egg noodles, I found eight - yes, eight - packages of elbow macaroni ... but no egg noodles. The really tricky part will be persuading him to mark something off the list when he uses it, so we can keep track of what we have plenty of and what we're almost out of. I can see myself going through the shelves every week and updating the inventory. Sigh.
I've also begun making a detailed inventory of all my sewing, knitting, and craft supplies and equipment. As soon as I've completed the move into J's old room, I'll be able to start putting things together for next fall's craft sales and this summer's Renaissance Faire booth, as well as the items I want to make as gifts for birthdays and next Christmas. I've already gone through my clothing-fabric stash, and paired up each length with the pattern I plan to use it for, and the necessary notions such as thread, buttons, and zippers. Next week I'll do the same with the yarn stash and knitting patterns. I must admit I'm not looking forward to measuring myself all over and adjusting my dressmaker dummy accordingly. But it will be so nice to be able to look at the "to make" list, pick something from it, and actually have the working space to do it!
This year, as stocking-stuffers for Big Guy, I knitted some wool frypan-handle holders. His mother used to send him a batch every few years, but since she died the collection has gradually eroded down to two, both very ratty and almost completely worn out. Well, he loves them! Not only that, but he's going to take a couple with him on his next trip to his favourite outdoor store, to see if they'd be interested in buying them from me as a regular thing. I told him even if they are, whether or not I go for it will depend on how much they're willing to pay me for them; they're a business, not a charity, and will need to put enough markup on them to make it worth their while to carry them. So the main considerations are how much they'd pay me, and how cheaply I can find a source of good-quality pure wool ... definitely not something I can pick up at thrift stores! In the meantime, I can use up the rest of the wool I bought for a few to put away for the craft sales; I can easily knock out six or eight of them a day.
Have I mentioned the university courses I have on DVD? Earth sciences, economics, oceanography, anthropology, history, climatology, and astronomy - now I have to decide where to start! Each course is a series of half-hour lectures, with accompanying guidebook and suggested reading list - but I want to start them all first! And I have a lovely tall stack of new books, all received as Christmas / Yule gifts ... does this qualify as an "embarrassment of riches"? It does to me! I'm sorely tempted to put the job search on hold while I read, and watch lectures, and work on all my future craft projects and wardrobe additions ... sometimes being a responsible adult has a downside.
I'm ending this post with a question, and hoping someone out there has read this far and perhaps can answer it.
This year, I want to learn to knit socks. However, I can't wear wool ... do knitting patterns for wool socks work just as well with synthetic yarns? I'll be grateful for any and all advice received!
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