Archive for December, 2009
2009 meme from Sundry
December 31st, 2009
from Sundry:
1. What did you do in 2009 that you’d never done before?
Picked up my kids from school nearly every day of the school week.
2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
Um, no. I don’t think I kept any of them. But next year? Big changes, and I’ve got other people on board.
My resolutions for 2010:
Don’t buy new stuff.
Buy local food as much as possible.
Reduce food waste to 10% or less (40% is the normal American family’s food waste).
Drive 25% less than this year.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
My minister’s wife. My sister-in-law is still in the running.
4. Did anyone close to you die?
No.
5. What countries did you visit?
None. Unless you count Arkansas.
6. What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009?
A job that doesn’t make me cry every day.
7. What dates from 2009 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
There was that one Friday in April. That day particularly sucked.
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Growing some fantastic tomatoes and herbs. And some various projects around the house that make me happy.
9. What was your biggest failure?
That whole losing my job thing. Actually, the failure was not seeing that it was about to happen.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Nothing worth mentioning. A few cat scratches and a cold or two.
11. What was the best thing you bought?
A basil plant at the farmer’s market. And a car.
12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
My kids’. Daily. They’re the most amazing people I have ever had the honor to know.
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
The people for whom I used to work.
14. Where did most of your money go?
The mortgage and food.
15. What did you get really excited about?
Excitement has been hard to muster. I have a job interview next month that has me pretty keyed up.
16. What song will always remind you of 2009?
Pokerface by Lady Gaga.
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
– happier or sadder? Sadder.
– thinner or fatter? Thinner, a little. Sadness has that effect on me.
– richer or poorer? Financially poorer, definitely.
18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
Asking for help when I needed it. Writing.
19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
Spider solitaire.
20. How did you spend Christmas?
At the in-laws’ house. It was great.
21. Did you fall in love in 2009?
No.
22. What was your favorite TV program?
True Blood. Glee. I have trouble picking favorites.
23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
Most certainly. About six people. I’m not proud of it, but I’m a terrible grudge-holder. And it’s truly amazing that I’ve not run into any of them since April. It would be an awkward moment.
24. What was the best book you read?
Good question. I’ve read a lot since April. I suppose “No Impact Man” was the most powerful.
25. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Lady Gaga. Rediscovering Brittney Spears.
26. What did you want and get?
A new car.
27. What did you want and not get?
A job.
28. What was your favorite film of this year?
Paranormal Activity.
29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
It was just a few weeks after my job loss. I turned 38, and spent the day at a minor league baseball game with my kids’ school, then a picnic by the river with the family. Major sunburn. But a nice day.
30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Not losing my job.
31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2009?
Oops, I wore my pajamas to pick up the kids at school again.
33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Um.
I got nothin’.
34. What political issue stirred you the most?
Healthcare in this country.
35. Who did you miss?
My parents, but that won’t be an issue soon, when they move here.
36. Who was the best new person you met?
Hm. I dunno offhand. I like some of my kids’ new teachers.
37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2009.
Loyalty is rarely deserved.
38. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
So what, I’m still a rock star!
Posted in 
Consumerist addiction
December 31st, 2009
If I’m going to quit the whole consumer hamster wheel, it makes sense to examine the insane ways my money disappears from my wallet.
Let’s examine.
Not too bad. Two filled compacts, one of Mary Kay products, one of Arbonne products. Total at this point: 9 eye shadows, 3 blushes.
Skin care. All Mary Kay. Daytime, nighttime, and exfoliant. I’m not horrified or embarassed yet.
Oops. Here’s where we see something a little scary. 14 eyeshadows, 4 blushes, 3 eyeliners, 7 lipsticks/glosses, one foundation, one eyebrow wax. Yikes.
One bronzer, one powder, another foundation, a couple of concealers/highlighters, and another ten or so lipsticks. And a homemade lip balm in a tea container. Hey, at least I’m recycling!
Under the bathroom sink. Lots of products. Hair, body, face, etc.
And more products. 90% of them are lotions. Two hair conditioners, and some fantastic ducks!
Here it is. My shame. 14, yes FOURTEEN hair products. 7 of them are curl enhancers. Are they truly different from each other? Not really.
If I added up the cost of these products, even if I only added up what they’re worth now (that they’re half gone, 25% gone, etc.), I think I could feed my family for a month or more.
Do these products make me look or feel better? Do I use them
Honestly? No, no, and mostly, no. My hair responds best to a weekly shampoo, every-other-day conditioning, and a little massage oil. My skin prefers the soap I make out of chamomile flowers, sage, rosemary, lavender, and unscented Dove soap. I wear makeup MAYBE once a week (but I wore it daily when I worked outside the home).
Which means I obviously have a bit of a problem when it comes to acquisition of products. Part of my year of non-acquisition will be dedicated to not only not purchasing, but also using what I already have. It’s clear that I have no business buying any kind of hair or skincare product for myself for quite a long time
I know I’m not alone here. What’s your poison? Where do you spend money that doesn’t make any kind of sense? What would make you change that pattern?
2009, don’t let the door hit you on the way out
December 30th, 2009
2009 was not my favorite year. At all. In fact, I can’t recall a year as bad as 2009. I’m not alone in this – unemployment is remarkably high, people have lost their homes at incredible rates, and we’re still feeling pretty insecure with folks trying to detonate bombs on airlines. Yeah, 2009 sucked.
But it’s almost over, which is great. Because, by tradition of calendar, we all get a reset button in a few days, as 2010 takes over the last four digits of the date we write on checks. (Do we still write checks?)
I, for one, am delighted to welcome 2010.
I have big plans for the upcoming year. Most importantly, I’m going to get a job. The kind with a paycheck and health insurance. That’s absolutely essential. Fortunately, the groundwork has been laid, and I feel quite confident that things will work out.
Beyond employment, however, I have other plans. After reading “No Impact Man” (as well as other things), I decided that 2010 was to be the year of not buying stuff. Sure, I’ll still buy food and medicine and soap and shampoo and deodorant, but I’m cutting out all non-essential spending. If I need clothes that aren’t already in my closet, I’ll borrow something from someone, or I’ll find it secondhand. If I can’t make it or borrow it or find it at a thrift shop, I’m not buying it. I’m not the first, or even the hundredth or thousandth person to do this, but I think it’s time to really commit to changing my behavior as a consumer.
Along with this change, I’m trying to reduce my (and my family’s) use of energy, creation of garbage, and any other wasteful behavior. The worm farm is already going strong (wow, those worms have gotten FAT in two weeks!), which is a faster compost solution than our outdoor compost pile. We only have one car, but we drive it more than we need to. While our house is already energy efficient, we could still be more mindful about turning off lights and using appliances more economically.
I’d love some company. Drop me a line if you want to join in my efforts.
New year’s is a great opportunity to turn on a dime. 2010 will be different from 2009.
New adventures await
December 26th, 2009
Merry Christmas!
We’re celebrating the holiday with my husband’s family, and all has gone very well. No drama, no strife. And everyone seems to like their gifts, which makes things even better.
My mother-in-law found a fantastic book
I will use this space to share my progress, and I’d love to have some of you join me. It’s certainly a good time for me to embrace such a project. Definitely a good time.
Short stories
December 20th, 2009
When I discover a new author, I tend to get pretty obsessive about their work. In my current unemployed state, I’ve found a lot more time for reading (thank you, Memphis Public Library, for your awesomeness). Most of the fiction I read is serial, and while I try to read a series in order, since I’m only going with library books, and I don’t want to drive all over town to get specific books, nor have I any interest in requesting books to be sent to one central location, I find myself reading out of order. And once I’ve finished a series (in whatever order), there’s usually one more book. The collection of short stories.
The husband and I were at the library the other day, and he noticed that I had a collection of short stories by my current author (Laurell Hamilton, by the way). “You don’t like short stories,” he reminded me.
He’s right, sort of. But a little glimpse inside an author’s mind, of her flights of fancy, is sometimes gratifying.
And this collection did the trick. It also did another trick. It inspired me to start working on my book again.
I mostly feel guilty when I think about the book. I gave it a good start, but abandoned it when it got tough. But maybe I just need a different approach. Maybe it needs to start out with short stories. Maybe that’s what it will be.
*********
In college, my senior year, I had a space to fill with a humanities elective, and one of my friends recommended a writing workshop she’d taken the previous semester. I had never written fiction before, and I found it to be just the right balance of challenging and easy. I enjoyed writing stories, and my teacher told me they were good (she even urged me to change my major, which, in my senior year, was not going to happen). While cleaning out a closet, I found my old stories and, yes, they were good. Sure, the transitions were rough, and some of the characters were very two-dimensional, but the plots were good.
We’ll see. I may just be feeling inspired for a little while. But maybe I can write a story a week, then have a book at the end. Or one of the stories might not be short. Only one way to find out.
