Rainy Wednesday

I'm lost as to the logic of mowing the lawn in the rain. This can't just be a Dad-ism that I've picked up...doesn't it make sense that rain weighs down the grass, so you're not cutting it so much as mashing it when you run a mower over it when it's soggy. We had good soaking rains start up in the wee hours this morning, and the landscapers were out at my complex doing their thing Wednesday like it was normal out. I suppose it's a negligible offense to the grass, since they already force it to grow where it wouldn't normally and spread god-knows-what on it to control bugs and weeds. But still, how do you go about a job like that and not feel like a Darwin award recipient? Don't get me started on the leaf blowers...

Looks like we're expecting rain the rest of the week. Good, we need it. I know the New Englanders are starting to feel like they're drowning, but it hasn't been normal down here since late May where rain is concerned. Could use the catchup...sun was trying to burn through the clouds in the midst of a good soaker this morning, saw a rainbow on the way to work :)

Started third panel on log cabin blanket, feeling this knitting in my upper arms...switched from straights to circulars and dug out the worsted Red Heart in my stash. When Yarn Harlot came to town, I won a gift package that included a set of 48" 10½s...nice to finally put 'em to use.

Finally cracked the Pagan Book of Living and Dying...glad I did, it's speaking to me, reminding me of stuff I'd forgotten. Pagans lapse just like Christians, and it's been ages since I've read anything on the craft.

Heart Walk coming up in September and Mom being diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes has me thinking hard once again about my health...

Floor space

Happy 4th, rah, rah! I'm just not the most patriotic gal...don't know why. My patriotism went up a notch when we elected Obama into office, but there's enough history for us to be not proud of, that I have trouble remembering that we're still the coolest country with regards to personal liberty, freedom of speech/religion, etc. Hard to remember that stuff, when we still don't let gays marry in like, 42 states, and this Reclaiming/Feri witch currently studying Buddhism still has to keep her philosophical opinions to herself in most of the South.

So it's good that Mom dragged me out on Saturday evening. Les would've liked to come with, but the weather's been quite Julyish around here, so his head/body wouldn't have been able to take it. Lord, it was warm! Between the weather and the AC on the fritz this weekend, I'm pretty sure I've lost any water weight I had to spare....still catching up. Metro Park was hosting the annual concert and fireworks, so Mom and I went out to mingle with the unwashed masses and catch Richard Marx and Pat Benatar. Chagrined to admit ... I had a blast! Marx put a rockin' spin on most of the fluff he played from the '80s, and Benatar still has her pipes. Played my personal fave ("Invinsible") as well as all her big hits...terrific concerts! Everyone brings blankets and chairs and parks on the grass...I went to buy a new camp chair and confirmed what I feared: I've outgrown the weight limit on the average camp chair, literally. So I purchased a cushioned stadium seat instead, so that I'd have a straight back for leaning against when sitting on the grass...did the trick nicely and was another eye-opener.

Another thing...the fireworks were excellent!! Jacksonville sets them off from 2 barges in the river, plus strobes and sparkly stuff on the Main Street and Acosta bridges. We were directly in front of one batch and even with the almost-full moon had a clear view...never seen them do different shapes before, like butterflies and stars, plus the swirlies after the initial bang, and colorscolorscolors!

Yes, the AC was on the fritz most of the weekend...that was an 80+ degree blast, she said sarcastically. Got up to 84 in the apartment at one point, yeesh, it was miserable trying to sleep in that. Maintenance came out on Sunday and chastised us for not having a filter, as its lack was clogging up the system. Les gave it a good brushing and it cooled down finally yesterday evening. So with maintenance's impending visit, it lit a fire under my butt and I emptied the apartment of some stuff...loaded the latest Goodwill donations into the car, recycled the old filing cabinet and plastics (FINALLY!!!), and sent the typewriter table to the dumpster. Also moved the new wooden cabinet down off its friend and onto my work table, which opens up the feel of the main room, and the purging gives us more floor space than I've seen in oh, years. Holy cow, I'm loving that floor space! Gave the kitchen a surface cleaning too, still keeping the dishes from piling up for the most part, and my head is in a much better place where that apartment is concerned.

Going to sand down the rough spots on the smaller wooden cabinet, restain it, make repairs if needed, and paint it, I think, and then empty and do the same to the bigger one. I've been knitting kitchen washcloths, have 2 socks on the needles, and I started an acrylic log cabin bedspread, motivated by Yarn Harlot and the urge to get the serious amounts of acrylic yarn that have been gifted to me by Mom J onto needles or out of the house.

A Quickie...

no, not that kind...get your head outta the gutter!

Four people got moved to different positions within my company, and the upshot is I still have a shot at the Supervisor position I've been basically doing for the past 6 months...brushing up on my experience, my sucking up, and my people skills, in about that order...when they get their crap together, I'll interview with about half a dozen higher-ups (yeesh!) and then we'll see. Thinking my skills will beat out the other girl I know was looking at the position, but not taking anything for granted...

Survived helping Lil Bro move by being smart and careful on the stairs, not carrying more than I could handle, and moving slow. Sweat a pile of water weight off, and am feeling good, motivated to continue working out in some capacity in the evenings.

Cell phone's down, home phone's plugged back in...we're really tight on money til my next payday :( Plenty of food in the larder tho' so just gotta get creative.

Plugging along...looking forward to another 3-day weekend :)

No gnus...

Air conditioner running about 7 degrees above where it's set...I love living in an old building. AC unit itself is only 2 years old, it's the building that can't take the heat. My enjoyment of the warmth of Florida is finally waning...it was brutal this past weekend.

Work's very busy, and I'm wiped from helping Lil Bro move last night...offering my services again tonight, so brain and body are tired. Real post tomorrow with update on how the company's continuing to use me cheap.

Delicious free friday

Errands...maybe Chamblin's...maybe new farmer's market over at St. Johns...keep TV off, the news is frickin' surreal...

RIP Ed, Farrah, Michael...I know they go in threes, but boy, was this a unique week!

Nice to read blogs and hear about something other than the death of the King of Pop. I'm willing to overlook his weirdness in deference to the amazing talent and creativity, but I really don't give a rat's ass about the opinion of the fan who's been camped out at the Apollo all night...

Have a great weekend, y'all!

Two times a bridesmaid, already a bride

Afraid of posting the picture, don't want to slip into any copyright infringement territory, so here's the site link.

I went to sleep last night thinking about this dress and woke up this morning with it on my mind. I want to be forced to have alterations done on it, because it turns out to be too big when it comes in. I want to have a body that deserves a dress that pretty.

Yeah, ok, obsessing a little. Went bridesmaid dress shopping last night with Christy, my best friend since the 6th grade. They actually had one or two things in my size, so I tried stuff on with the rest of them, and it was surprisingly fun. With my body, I liken any shopping experience to trying on bathing suits, but fancy dresses are definitely different. The one that fit looked really matronly on the hanger, but I carried it better on. But I wasn't crazy about the brooch at the waist and it felt too...bulky or something. So her friend Vonn and I went back out to look some more, and I happened upon this one. It was in a size that Christy could try on for me to see, and I just knew. We're going with a Midnight Pearl color, a really deep navy blue, and while I'm recognizing it's going to be a little more form-fitting than some of the styles we were heading toward, Diana (another friend) was kind enough to note that the sweetheart neckline and cap sleeves (which fall naturally to the sides if desired) will be complementary to my body shape. So pregnancy plans and big body be damned, we ordered it in my current size and it should come in in September. She's not getting married until 10/10/10.

The side-gathered waist with the leaf applique spoke to my earthy nature. The lightly jeweled bodice made me feel like a girl, and I didn't even try the sucker on. Christy tried on and ended up purchasing a gown for the rehearsal dinner, because it looked amazing on her, the style spoke to hers, and I was reminded that it's important to have one/some of these kinds of dresses in your closet. I want to go walking right now, get in better shape, so that when I slip that dress on finally, my thoughts won't be on how disappointed I am in my body. Gotta tone my arms too. And get back on the Bean. And...

Am I being too...something? Probably, sure, but can it be wrong if it does motivate me properly? This wedding, however far in the future, will be a big deal, fancy with serious dough invested. I'm proud to be standing with my pal as she finally hooks her guy. I want it to be an amazingly happy day where my mind isn't constantly on how thank god the cap sleeves hide my flabby arms. Ridiculous, sure, but the negative voices in my head are unmerciful where my body is concerned. I can't have too many reasons to do right by me.

And then we went to Cheesecake Factory and blew any chance of it fitting when it comes in :) I kid, it was a delicious meal, and I was grateful, as I couldn't afford to go dutch this time.

Christy's a jewelry artist, and in the near future I'll be figuring out how to create a website to showcase her talents and hopefully get her selling her beautiful work. Just dawned on me, that Etsy might be more low-maintenance than creating something from scratch. Her stuff's more high-end than some of the stuff you'll find on Etsy, but it's completely handmade, so it certainly qualifies. Might be a nice jumping-off point...

Overheard they're going to be pushing weekend work, so much for my three-day weekend :( We're inheriting more furniture on Sunday...shhhh! haven't told Husby yet! Looking forward to next weekend's 3-day stretch for the holiday, and this weekend's extra work is motivating me to do more with my evenings. Hate when I can't rely on the weekends for wind down though.

Still organized...and a shout out...

Day Two of the Great Clean Kitchen experiment!

Only threw together Hamburger Helper last night because I knew I'd be working late, and I wanted something leftover-y today for Husby, because I'm doing dinner out with Christy. Put away dry stuff, washed pans, wiped down counters...using the washcloth I knitted a while back, and started a new one, because I'm liking having those around. I woke up this morning just knowing that it was going to be one of those morning where time flew, so I steered clear of the idiot box and jumped in the shower, threw together lunch and breakfast easily again. Need to be leaving the idiot box off altogether and doing yoga in the mornings to wake the body up...there's virtually nothing on of interest at that hour anyway, and this being summer in Florida, I already know the weather report (partly sunny or cloudy, depending on your point of view; high mid-90s, chance of rain 40%).

My new work bag is a beeyootiful fabric tote from the talented hands of Beauty That Moves, a kindred spirit from the Nutmeg State. The lousy photo is courtesy of my pay-as-you-go POS cell phone, but I was so tickled to have successfully sent a picture from my phone, I just had to put it on today's post. Yes, Melanie's a shade behind technologically...seriously though, it's a good thing we're back to not having money to blow on stuff, or else I'd be further cluttering up our pit of despair with the typewriter and suitcases in her vintage store. Heather's in the midst of farmer's market season, so her handmade shop stuff will trickle in online in the coming weeks as the bulk of her stock goes to the locals, but it's a fun place to dream, plus she's a good influence in the eating healthy department...check her out!