Moving on from the controversial topic of the Stealthy Dog's animosity for Christmas...
I paid the bills today. and for the first time in a long time it was not a stretch.
2 reasons:
Firstly I have more money. We got 8% this year and we get 7% next year.
Secondly I have less debt. I have paid off the credit card.
As soon as I get rent and this week's mortgage I will make the first large, permanent pay down on the line of credit. God willin' and the crick don't rise, I'll have that thing paid off by Xmas.
29.9.08
26.9.08
I hate Christmas.
I mean, I really hate it. Not the actual event of the birth of Christ, but the holiday itself.
I, for years, have been surrounded by friends who are cynically disposed towards religion if not condescenignly cruel about it, but who expect gifts to be exchanged and convivial dinners to be hosted. Not so cynical now, are you, you hypocrites?
More aggravating, is that I am now surrounded by the children of such people, who demand gifts, and for whom the holiday has no other reason for being. This is particularly disheartening as they're not deciding to be ignorant; they are, if you will, innocently ignorant. Further, because their parents, for 48 weeks of the year, think churches are pedophilic institutions dedicated to graft, any attempt by me to evangelize the True Meaning of Christmas(tm) would be suspicious.
This means that I spend about all my Christmas (with the exception of the bits where I sing) with large crowds of people who don't see the event the same way I do, and who are not open to my distress or discomfort about it.
But, ever Stealthy, I have hatched an insidious plot.
Plot part 1: I like to give prezzies... so I will. Christian recipients get Christmas presents on or around the 25th of December (thanks, I think, to Constantine) and non-Christians will get New Year's presents.
Plot part 2: I will be very careful about who I spend Christmas Day with. If it's a giant stress mess and not a celebration, I'm not doing it! This is a religious day first, not a holiday day first. Also, my cats are good company on such days.
Plot part 3: December 6th is the Feast of St. Nicholas of Myra, and seems like a good day to do random gifting. That seems to be more Christmasy than satisfying the consumerist ravings of small children.
Plot part 4: I'm getting gifts I want to get for people. If they don't like 'em, tough bananas. Oh yeah, and I already have your gift, so don't even ask!
25.9.08
A nice day
Up this morning, off to work, with a very productive day with lots getting done!
Deposited an unexpected cheque allowing me to buy groceries, woo!
Out of work early because I had run out of work to do, scooped up the boy, and off to music lessons.
His homework is done early, we found 12 different kinds of leaves for his arts'n'crafts
Got into music lessons after snacks, read the paper.
Scooped him up from music lessons, down to the Art Gallery (free on Thursdays!) then onto the bus.
Met a friend, had a lovely three-way conversation all the way to the mall, got some groceries, and home on foot.
Collect the dog, make the supper, play 45 minutes of creative non-video gaming, upstairs for an episode of Farscape.
Leave him with Johnny and the Dead, eight blocks with the dog, back in time to remind him to phone his mom good night, he's read 14 pages in as many minutes, chase his toothbrush around his mouth and tuck him in.
Get the dishes and the laundry done, change my sheets, bed-down the dog, pet the cats, fold the laundry.
Blog, go to sleep.
Deposited an unexpected cheque allowing me to buy groceries, woo!
Out of work early because I had run out of work to do, scooped up the boy, and off to music lessons.
His homework is done early, we found 12 different kinds of leaves for his arts'n'crafts
Got into music lessons after snacks, read the paper.
Scooped him up from music lessons, down to the Art Gallery (free on Thursdays!) then onto the bus.
Met a friend, had a lovely three-way conversation all the way to the mall, got some groceries, and home on foot.
Collect the dog, make the supper, play 45 minutes of creative non-video gaming, upstairs for an episode of Farscape.
Leave him with Johnny and the Dead, eight blocks with the dog, back in time to remind him to phone his mom good night, he's read 14 pages in as many minutes, chase his toothbrush around his mouth and tuck him in.
Get the dishes and the laundry done, change my sheets, bed-down the dog, pet the cats, fold the laundry.
Blog, go to sleep.
22.9.08
I come in peace!
As I've been focussed on the reactions of my doctors to my eventual dreams to come ashore somewhere, I have neglected the reactions of other islanders to the appearance of my little raft on the horizon of an island.
In some islands, they row out to greet me, waving papaya or payaya or papyrus or whatever local artisan-craft is their island's claim to fame, and entreat me to come ashore.
In others, they repel me immediately, hailing me from afar with threats of military over-reaction if I venture closer.
Others are more neutral, and allow me to re-provision from dock-side under the watchful eye of armed policemen.
And often, if I start with reaction number one... when I mention that I have fled civil war they convert to reaction number two.
All in all, life is much simpler on the raft.
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You should read all that comic right now.
In some islands, they row out to greet me, waving papaya or payaya or papyrus or whatever local artisan-craft is their island's claim to fame, and entreat me to come ashore.
In others, they repel me immediately, hailing me from afar with threats of military over-reaction if I venture closer.
Others are more neutral, and allow me to re-provision from dock-side under the watchful eye of armed policemen.
And often, if I start with reaction number one... when I mention that I have fled civil war they convert to reaction number two.
All in all, life is much simpler on the raft.
You should read all that comic right now.
19.9.08
18.9.08
16.9.08
Analysis of time and space
This is a small chore I have set out for myself to accomplish... try to measure how much stuff I have.
Why am I doing this? Is it the ol' OCD kicking in? It comes from the realization that everything I throw out must have been brought into the house. How much square footage of cuh-rap did I bring in here? What will I find as I go through this?
Total square footage, including basement, is:
let's see... 20x30 is 600, x 3 is 1800, + 385 in the attic is 2185 sq ft..
385 is the area of the The Boy's room, and it is about 150sqft full, leaving 230 sqft of living space.
Aha! That's the lesson here... STUFF space is not LIVING space. I am cutting down on my stuff because I feel increases my room to live. Compaction gives breathing room...
Master Bedroom is 300sqft, and it's about 133 sqft full, leaving 170 sqft. I guess that means that I have almost an empty bedroom worth of space in my bedroom
As I do this, I find myself making small, very significant changes to where I am storing things almost unconsciously
Hallway is about 75 sqft, 8 of which is taken up... well, it is a hallway after all.
Bathroom is 80 sqft, and there's about 24 sqft of floor space, but that's normal for a bathroom.
The office is a bit of a challenge. It's not very big, 100 sqft or so, and 24' of that is taken up by a desk... a REALLY BIG desk. another 18 sqft is taken up by a bed, and there are two doors, that take up about 18 sqft for opening room. There's a small wardrobe, another 8 sqft gone... leaving 30 sqft or so... or a 3x10 space. That's not enough room for someone to sit on the floor, let alone live.
Poor Roommate Girl.
The kitchen is 150 sqft, all but 24sqft of that is cupboards. What do you expect, it's a kitchen!
I dream of having taller thinner cabinets.
The parlour is again about 150 sqft... and it contains a chair and a bench for a total of 21 sqft. There are two doors that take up about 36 sqft. and I dream of replacing them with doors that open out.
I like the ability to do whatever I want in this room. This winter, I think it will be a workshop
The sitting room is about 225 sq ft, and is dominated by a dining room table, which helps take up 57sq ft. There's not a lot of room in here, but at least no one is backing into tables when they stand up anymore.
The front hall is about 75 sqft.. sadly, half full. about 40 sqft. That's too much.
Sometimes a car would be handy, but always a car would be expensive
The basement 'suite' is about 260 sqft, almost entirely empty. There's about 20 sqft of power tools in it.
There's also a growing number of Call of Cthulhu props
The pantry is about 120 sqft, and it is a mess! It's filled with bookcases, cupboards, and stacked drywall!
And now it isn't. Everything that is food is in the kitchen, and the tools and cleaning supplies are all in one set of shelves right at the bottom of the stairs.
Why am I doing this? Is it the ol' OCD kicking in? It comes from the realization that everything I throw out must have been brought into the house. How much square footage of cuh-rap did I bring in here? What will I find as I go through this?
Total square footage, including basement, is:
let's see... 20x30 is 600, x 3 is 1800, + 385 in the attic is 2185 sq ft..
385 is the area of the The Boy's room, and it is about 150sqft full, leaving 230 sqft of living space.
Aha! That's the lesson here... STUFF space is not LIVING space. I am cutting down on my stuff because I feel increases my room to live. Compaction gives breathing room...
Master Bedroom is 300sqft, and it's about 133 sqft full, leaving 170 sqft. I guess that means that I have almost an empty bedroom worth of space in my bedroom
As I do this, I find myself making small, very significant changes to where I am storing things almost unconsciously
Hallway is about 75 sqft, 8 of which is taken up... well, it is a hallway after all.
Bathroom is 80 sqft, and there's about 24 sqft of floor space, but that's normal for a bathroom.
The office is a bit of a challenge. It's not very big, 100 sqft or so, and 24' of that is taken up by a desk... a REALLY BIG desk. another 18 sqft is taken up by a bed, and there are two doors, that take up about 18 sqft for opening room. There's a small wardrobe, another 8 sqft gone... leaving 30 sqft or so... or a 3x10 space. That's not enough room for someone to sit on the floor, let alone live.
Poor Roommate Girl.
The kitchen is 150 sqft, all but 24sqft of that is cupboards. What do you expect, it's a kitchen!
I dream of having taller thinner cabinets.
The parlour is again about 150 sqft... and it contains a chair and a bench for a total of 21 sqft. There are two doors that take up about 36 sqft. and I dream of replacing them with doors that open out.
I like the ability to do whatever I want in this room. This winter, I think it will be a workshop
The sitting room is about 225 sq ft, and is dominated by a dining room table, which helps take up 57sq ft. There's not a lot of room in here, but at least no one is backing into tables when they stand up anymore.
The front hall is about 75 sqft.. sadly, half full. about 40 sqft. That's too much.
Sometimes a car would be handy, but always a car would be expensive
The basement 'suite' is about 260 sqft, almost entirely empty. There's about 20 sqft of power tools in it.
There's also a growing number of Call of Cthulhu props
The pantry is about 120 sqft, and it is a mess! It's filled with bookcases, cupboards, and stacked drywall!
And now it isn't. Everything that is food is in the kitchen, and the tools and cleaning supplies are all in one set of shelves right at the bottom of the stairs.
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