Skip And A Jump

Just popping over ... and down to Seattle for a thing. 

Ended up having enough VISA type points to fly (thereby saving a TON of time) and am just realizing I'm not sure I've flown into the states in a long long time.  I've flown through the states, (as in, it's not the stopping destination) and I've driven into the states and I've boated (boated?) into the states and I flew OUT of the states a couple of summers ago, but I can't think of the last time I flew into the states... it's been a while.  I think.

So yeah, I went through the new, post nine eleven security body scan thing when I flew home from the van incident the other summer, so I'm remembering that but I'm curious what else might be new to me.

Should be back early next week, but am not taking computer so will be out of blog contact for a wee while.  Hold down the fort will you?

They're Getting More Serious

It's a poor photo but... but... but y'all?

THEY'VE MOVED ON TO COCONUTS!!!!

CO CO NUTS!!!

Yes... that is half a coconut at the base of a tree.  Apparently bananas and banana peels weren't enough.

I am a little nervous for the next stage of this evolution...

Tired

I took my car in for its regular oil change and check up maintenance thing last week and they told me my back tires were done.

Like... "you shouldn't drive on these especially not in rain"  Which, ok, you know where I live right?

I'm *slightly* annoyed that they didn't give me a "your tires are getting low-ish" last tune up and I have told Jason "you were right" because he mentioned, a few months back, that he didn't feel my tires were up for snow driving this year.  Apparently they weren't. 

Part of the reason only my back tires were done is that I got two new tires a few years ago (I think I got a nail in one kind of thing) and so the wear was uneven.  The dealership also didn't rotate the tires at all (since I don't drive much?) which made the wear even more uneven.  (They also suggested I needed a tire alignment which then sent me off on a line of questioning with Jason of wait, my tires have what?  weights?  and they're at slight angles?  who?)

When I was getting the van ready for Burning Man, we got a solid set of tires at a place here in town and so we went back there to talk about tires for my sweet little car.

I really appreciated how they listened (asked what my driving style was, distance, regularity, etc, and what I was looking for - SAFETY!) and then found me a set of tires that are apparently super cool (and three of the other guys in the shop have on their vehicles year round, so cool!)

They are absolutely a stretch for my budget right now but after my tires failed to grip in the rain on an uphill start a couple of times, I realized that a stretched budget or an over-extended VISA bill is far better than an accident or uncomfortable driving.

So I got the tires that are the brand of that puffy marshmallow guy and they're Winter rated but I'm going to leave them on all year (not a big issue, and also, means I don't have to find a place to store, and buy! a set of Summer tires)  This is a huge upgrade (as I understand it) safety wise from my "all weather" good tires that I had on before and Jason is already happy to see me in safer tires.

They also checked the tire pressure on my spare, which isn't something I'd thought about before.  (Not that I know how to put on a spare, particularly, but it would be miserable to try to get it on and find out it wasn't even usable, eh?)

So, yeah, my baby's got some brand new shoes.  And yes, I did literally kick one of them when no one was looking just so I could say "I kicked the tires!"

Now both my vehicles have super cool, super safe, really good tires.  I've been told this is a heck of a lot more important for driving than most people realize.  *The more you know!*

Oh Dear...

One of the things I've been surprised with in my ukulele learning adventures are how dark some of the songs I remember from childhood actually are!

I'm so far just finding songs on the internet that are beginner level and that I recognize/know and so many of them are folksy or old(er) songs of that style.  For example, I remember learning "Streets of Laredo" in Grade 6 or 7 choir.  I remember it being a nice song about a cowboy and something something dressed in white and maybe it was a bit sad like a breakup or something but yeah, nothing major.  And then there was that spaghetti song, you know.. On top of spagheeeetiiiiiiiii, all covered with cheeeeeeese, I lost my poor meaaaaatballlll, when somebody sneeeeeezed. 

So, it turns out that both of these songs, with their original lyrics are pretty damn depressing!  The Laredo one is about this cowboy who is dying/dies... whoops, and the "On top of old Smokey" song is about girls getting screwed over by "young lovers" and it's actually pretty heartwrenching, not at all the funny meatball song of my youth!

I also find myself getting teared up with songs like "Lean on Me" which I know, but somehow reading (and singing along to) the lyrics makes them that much more..... weep-inducing?

It's not a bad thing, I just really noticed how many songs I only sort of half knew the lyrics to.  ("Octopus's Garden" anyone?)

The Toe Bone's Connected To The.... Foot Bone...

I feel like I've talked about this before, but man oh man, does my body ever like to fail all together!

That's not quite accurate, but mentioning a "cascade" or a "domino" is.

Like, my shoulder's been not great for a few months, right?  Which, let's be honest, is likely from me compensating from neck stuff...  So my shoulder's not been great, and then my arm, and now my elbow and it's like really?  REALLY?

Apparently, yes.

I mean, I know this.  I know everything's connected.  Like, seriously.  Literally everything's connected physically (let's not get into mental/emotional stuff and that connection to pain, etc. oh lordy) so when X goes, you compensate for the pain or lack of mobility, etc and that sets of Y, and so then Y hurts and you adjust/compensate for that and then W acts up and before you know it you have a physio looking at your sore toe telling you it's your hip.  What?

And so my elbow, which is not in love with ukulele which SUCKS SO MUCH LET ME TELL YOU, is really apparently the shoulder, which is part shoulder, part whatever it's called (shoulder blade... scapula?) which is part neck which is part I GOT HIT IN A STUPID ACCIDENT A HUNDRED YEARS AGO GIVE ME A BREAK!

And no, I know not everyone's body is like this, but mine is.  It doesn't like repetition, never has.  It doesn't isolate an owie, it spreads the love and yes, I AM STUBBORN AND PUSH THROUGH AND IGNORE PAIN FOR LONGER THAN I MAYBE SHOULD.

Sigh.

So yeah... my right upper (think arm, back, shoulder, neck, elbow, etc.) area is not the happiest its ever been and no one (practitioner wise) is clear about the why or the origin or.... plan of attack even. 

Sigh.

Do You Have To Let It Linger

The death this week of the lead singer of the Cranberries, Dolores O'Riordan was unexpected and sad for me as Sarah and I used to sing along to their songs in first year University, so I have great memories with some of their songs. 

And it reminded me that I'm still so very saddened by Gord Downie's death, I really am. I haven't been able to listen to any Hip again in quite the same way yet and I have been unable to listen to his full solo album (the one he wrote knowing he was terminal), I can only listen one song at a time and even then... it's a lot.

I said to someone the other day that the death of musicians is an odd one.  We may not even have seen them perform.  We probably don't know who they *actually* are, most likely we just know their stage persona/presence, so it's not like losing a sibling, or a spouse, or friend, you know?  But it can be so deeply affecting.

They, or their music, or their words, or their performance was there for us, was there WITH us, was a soundtrack, brings back a memory, got us through something, made us feel.  Music is just.... it's magic, magical.  And when the person who represents those moments, memories, feelings dies, it's like that memory is somehow.... I don't know what I mean to say here, that memory is made more vivid, or it flares along with the sadness.  And for me it's sometimes that I missed out on being able to thank them, or to tell them that they meant something or that their song got me through X or Y or that I felt this way about it.  Maybe that's part of it.  Plus the reminder that we're all human, and mortal.  So very very mortal.  And if they?  They who were sometimes God-like, and untouchable can die?  Well damn, what's keeping us from it?

Sad Face

I lost a plant this week.

Not as in "where did it go?" but as in "oh, all of its stems have rotted, noooooo!"

I'm kind of bummed about this one but perhaps not terribly surprised?

It was a cutting (or something) from a plant that came in a small (fridge magnet size!) pot that I made grow and grow and grow!  But the original plant died in some way I can't remember (and now suspect is the same issue.)

This plant had gotten a little overly... straggly?  As in, I kept meaning to to buy stakes to tie it to cuz the branch things were falling over.

When I went to water it yesterday, a couple of bits fell off.  This always bums me out, but when I looked closer, all the stems were black/rotted (?) at the base and pulled right out.

So I put it all in compost.  I feel terrible, it was maybe saveable but I'm thinking not.

It was vaguely, slightly like a succulent in some ways and I'm historically not great with them (over watering???) But yeah, I'm sad about that guy/gal, cuz I made it from a baby and didn't mean to kill it.

Sigh.

Rough time of year for plants I guess.

Sorry little guy/gal.

Hulk Not Smash?

What do you do when you're angry?

I mean... I don't mean the specifics, I just suppose I'm wondering what other people do that helps them, or that is productive or... what they've learned/chosen not to do.

Do you distract yourself?  Ignore it away?  Talk to someone?  Talk to someone if you're angry with them directly?  Do you run?  (Literally or metaphorically I suppose)  Or hit a punching bag?  Cry?  Bottle it up?

Or maybe... what do you wish you did when you were angry?

I know I try to watch my words and not do anything I will regret later, but I'm not great with anger... neither my own or that of others.  But apparently anger won't just magically disappear from the universe this time tomorrow so...

Anger.  What about it, eh?

Pardon?

Mid January eh?  Just like that?

Wow.

(I swear it was just Christmas last week!)

There, I Said It

I don't like cooking.

There, I said it.

I don't like anything about it.

I don't even like watching other people cook.  (Unless it's one of those [usually Japanese?] restaurants where they cook RIGHT THERE and it's going to be super yummy.)

I was just watching some video that someone posted somewhere about how to make some "yummy" dish and all I could think was "this is boring" and "I really don't care."

Because I don't.  Jason keeps trying to help me learn to cook by making these dishes and having me watch and going "see?  easy!" and I'm like... uh.... "you know me attempting to chop/slice those would have taken four times as long right?"  and "I likely would have burnt something or overcooked something else?"  not to mention food and I don't really get along well enough half the time for me to want to bother.

I feel like I'm missing some gene that everyone else has.  The "cooking is fun, awesome and rewarding" gene.  I'm over here like meh.  Blah.  Nope.

I think people keep thinking they'll convert me somehow but the truth is I just really don't like cooking.  I know other people find it interesting or fun or even amazingly cool (like magic or chemistry!) but for me?  I just don't like it.

*hangs head in shame and goes to sit in the corner..... hungry*

YAY... oh.

That moment when you take your water bottle out of the backseat and are super pleased to see you drank WAY more water than you thought you did!

And then you realize that the lid was slightly undone and it had been leaking slowly the whole time.

So... you didn't drink way more water than you thought you did after all.

(And you now have a damp/wet backseat, whoops)

Sigh.

Go Figure

I spent a bit of time over at Jason's over the holidays.  We watched a lot of shows, some on Netflix, some on tv.  And I noticed something about cable tv.

See, I haven't had cable in years.  At least ten, possibly more?  So I don't see ads.  And a couple of times we tried to watch a show or a movie on cable and I found I just couldn't.  I mean... I technically could, but I just couldn't care enough about the story because it kept getting interrupted.  The flow was gone.... something was juuuuuust about to happen NOPE!  (insert totally unrelated things here)

And ads?  Are super super annoying.  (With a few exceptions.)  And maybe because it was the holidays but it seemed to be the same ads over and over and over and. over. 

So, yeah.  I don't like cable.

Which I knew.

But I've had it confirmed.

It's back to Netflix (and stuff) for me, thanks!

Ranty McRanterson

I do try not to rant too terribly much here, but, well.... a grumpy day collided with a rant so.......

I appreciate cyclists.  Like, people who commute (or just ride) on their bike.

I like that they're being healthy, saving gas/fuel and all the good things.  But I have some, I dunno... peeves?  Frustrations?  Total annoyances???

The particular rant I have from my drive home last night is bikers (cyclists) who do not act like vehicles.  Who do stupid/dangerous/unsafe things.  I want to scream sometimes.  You are a vehicle.  You are sharing the road with other vehicles.  Those other vehicles are HUGE AND HEAVY.  And?  They have blind spots.  And expectations.  Expectations of traffic flow, and yes, of cyclists.  So when people (yes lady, I'm looking at you) do dangerous things I get frustrated. 

I also have a pet peeve over what I call "invisible" bikers.  Especially at this time of year, when it's dusk early and dark for a long time, you really should be making yourself as visible as you can.  Blinkies, flashies, head and tail light, reflective clothing, whatever.  Just... don't be frigging dark and invisible.  That goes double for you too pedestrians!

I watched this woman, all decked out, but missing lights, go around a vehicle that was in the right hand turn lane, indicating to go right and wobble in front of said vehicle.  It was completely unsafe for the bike rider and must have been nerve-wracking for the driver.  BAH!

Now, to be honest, the majority of cyclists I drive near/around are awesome.  They respect the rules of the road, they indicate, they are safe and well lit.  I sometimes wonder if it's a matter of people having not driven for so long they forget what it's like to be in a car?  But... anyway.  That was a frustrating (as in stressful) ride home with that particular lady around.  I was glad to have her in my rearview.

Thanks to all the awesome cyclists for making it really easy to share the road.  Poop on the rest. 

Come On, Man!

I'm having a lot of fun with the ukulele by the way!

I've managed to sing along with a few songs and I can tell I'm getting better.  I'm totally building calluses on my one hand and, well, I hate to say it, but I kind of got a "repetitive" injury in the other arm, gah!

I noticed it last week, that my right elbow was hurting, so I figured since I've been resting for the holidays it couldn't have been a workout thing, so must be the only other new thing I've been doing... so I stopped for a day, got annoyed that I'd stopped, so just practiced the other hand (not making any noise by strumming sort of thing) and then the next day I went back and realized it's not that I'm strumming with that elbow... I think it's actually just that I'd been so into it all, I'd spent two weeks of ten minutes to half an hour a day in that position and my arm went, you know what?  Nope!

So I'm trying to stretch, and to play/practice for shorter amounts of times because I do not want to get an actual, serious, or permanent injury from something that's meant to be fun and enjoyable.

But yeah, my body does not like repetition.  Which is funny, because my brain/mind doesn't mind it at all but my body, not just in recent years either, is not a fan of repetitive motion type stuff.  (I got that wrist thing in my right wrist back in the day when I had a job doing sales from the cash register, so it's not so much an age thing as it is my body thing!) 

I was pretty frustrated when things started to hurt and then the hurting was not nice at all and that upset me a fair amount, so I'm watching it and going to try to pay more attention and see if I can't avoid that kind of hurting again.

And, I may be sheepishly mentioning it to a physiotherapist later this week.  Ahem.

Invested

Many of us get invested, via this strange world of interwebs, in people we will probably never meet.

I say this, because as I was going through flickr looking for a photo to use with a post, I came across a woman that I have been "following" for as long as I've been blogging... so... a decade or so.  She has lost a lot of weight.  Not sure when or how... she shut down her blog (or I lost track of it) and has only recently started posting to flickr again but you guys?  I'm so proud of her.  This woman I don't know, and will probably never meet or speak to and I'm so proud of her and happy for her.

Which made me think... you guys might not realize, but I'm invested in your lives too.

What little you let me know via a comment here or there, or even just comments that don't tell me about you but give me an understanding of who you are or where you are and so on and so forth, I'm invested, I care.  And I wanted you all to know that.  I care about your lives, and your health and your hearts and your families and loved ones and I have a mental track in my head when I check in on the blog wondering about you and how you're doing.  I have memories over the years of this happening to so and so or that to this person and so on and so forth.  I find myself hoping people are well that I haven't heard from in a while, and I hope that everyone's happy and that I provide some sort of distraction... or something.  I don't know. 

I just wanted you all to know that I care, as strange as that may sound and you're part of my life, in that way that the internet allows us to be.

Hugs.

Oh Man!

Oh my gosh, I totally forgot to tell you!

About a week before Christmas, Jason and I were picking up some groceries.  It was evening (or at least it was dark, so who knows, could have been five pm for all I know, damn time change, mumble, mumble, grumble!)  The store was busy, so they had the extra baggers on to help speed things up.

The checkout we ended up in had two younger folk and they were half chatting to each other.

I think Jason was going to make quacamole for some reason (were we doing tacos maybe? no nachos I think!) so we had an avocado.  Which... no big deal, right?

Except the girl doing the checkout, looked at it, scanned it, turned half to her bagging partner and half to us and said "I have to get a gift for a secret santa.  I'm going to get mine an avocado and a banana, (pause), cuz everyone likes avocados, right?"

And there was a pause from the three of us.

There was a quick exchange of glances between the three of us (Jason, myself, the bagger guy)

"Uh...."  was I think all anyone managed to answer.  I may have shrugged.  I was working REALLY HARD at not laughing or saying "WHAT?" or "no!" or something because, you guys?  This girl didn't seem to be joking.  Honest to god, she seemed 100% serious.  Serious that she was going to get a stranger (we asked and it was for a friend of her friend that she didn't know) an avocado and a banana as a gift.  Not as a gag gift.  Just as a gift. A.  Serious.  Gift.  That.  She.  Thought.  Was.  Nice!

I... can't... even.  It's been the best thing to give me either a good laugh, or to confuse me utterly, or to make me wonder about the future state of the world.

And in case the guy who received this gift reads this?  Dude?  I'm sorry.  But she genuinely thought that an avocado and a banana would be a great gift that you'd enjoy. 

Think Of Something Else!

I'm on a bit of a break from the gym/trainer for the holidays, but I'm also going to have to go back to a slightly different routine with her (the trainer) because my entire right arm/shoulder/neck is ANGRY AT ME in a new (month or so) way that I can't just ignore.  (Sigh)  But I got the giggles the other month while doing some weight stuff.

Because there I am, in this gym, with my little 15 pound weights and to me?  Those suckers are HEAVY!

So I'm doing my... oh dear lord let it stop thing with my little arms trying to lift those little weights and I look in the mirror and I'm surrounded by these guys doing these MASSIVE grunting HUGE weights.  And... well, I got the giggles.

Big time.

I had to stop and my trainer asked me what was wrong and I had to try to explain how funny it was for me to be finding the literally small, relatively "light" weights difficult and hard work when there were all these people around me lifting weights bigger than my head. 

It was maybe a "you had to be there" (as in, in my head) moment, but damn did it ever strike me as funny. 

And giggling in the gym like that is no bueno.. so... it was time to think of something else and go get a drink of water.

But yeah.... just... heh.  Heh. 

Oooooooh!

I don't think I've ever mentioned this to you, but I really like cranes.

Now, I'm not talking about the birds although they're cool too in their own way.  Me?  I'm talking about the cranes used in construction.

I'm not entirely sure why but I love them!

There's something about them that makes me really impressed every time I see them.

It's like... look what we (humans) can do!  We can build these... weird wobbly tall things that we then have someone sit in to, like, lift things up high to build super big buildings, what?  It's incredible to me.

Maybe it's the feat of engineering.

I'm sure it's in part that when I was a child, around Christmas, we'd drive to downtown Vancouver for shopping and such and at some point one of us noticed a crane that they'd decorated with Christmas lights (it wasn't "done" back then, although is much more common now, it was such a neat thing to see, very special at the time) and the next time kid me saw one I was so excited I blurted out "there's a Christmas crane!" (it had a lit up tree on it and I'd meant to say "there's a Christmas tree on that crane" but my excited brain got mixed up)

The other month I was walking downtown and saw one being dismantled.  It blew my mind.  They build those things!  OF COURSE they do!  But it had never occurred to me before that someone has to put it together and take it apart.  What???

And the other day I saw a giant truck with all the parts for one on it.  "LOOK AT THAT!" I shouted to whoever was in the car with me at a time.  And yes, I would have probably stopped to look at it had traffic/timing allowed.  IT'S JUST SO BIG AND COOL YOU GUYS!!!!

So yeah, I kind of love cranes.  I don't have a solid reason why except that I love that human engineering thinks up such cool (and helpful I guess) things.  We are SO smart!

And no, I don't want to go up one, nope, nope, nope!  I just want to admire them from afar.

And, oh, yeah, I'm totally one of those people who'll stop and watch one.  (And I'll look through the look holes of a construction site too, you bet I will!)

Cool stuff, yo, them cranes.  I likes them.

Duuuuude

I ever tell you I now know how to change the air filter on two different types of cars?

Well, in case I haven't already.... hey, you guys!  I can change the air filter on two different types of cars!!!

So I don't have a whole lot of financial... uh... flex?  freedom?  uh.. bounty?  at the moment, so the van is not getting all the magical upgrades I'd like her to have one day (soon?!)

But she's been struggling with starting so a few months ago Jason and I started looking at what that might be. 

(On his advice) we started with the simple/free stuff, so I learned how to take off the doghouse (the van has its engine "inside" the van, rather than out in front like with most vehicles, so it's covered by a ... uh... plastic case that they call the doghouse.  It's just a matter of unclipping the clips, unscrewing the screws and then finding the magic way to maneuver it out.  (Which I'm still figuring out with much swearing and sweating... ahem)  So we took off the doghouse and he adjusted the idle screw (? that's a thing right?  that's the right name?  idle... screw?) and that maybe helped, maybe didn't.

But we'd also talked about it getting a new air filter, and since I hadn't put in a new one since being on playa (and the year of sitting down in California!) we went and bought a new one (A.. K&N, which I thought for the longest time was "Koening" because of how Jason pronounced it!) and I asked if I could put it in myself.

Turns out it's SUPER simple in an old(er) van.  Once the doghouse is off, it's a matter of finding the round thing, unscrewing the screw thing, taking the lid off, popping out the old one, popping in the new one, putting the lid back on, screwing the screw thing back on and.... done!  FANCY SCHMANCY!!!!

Van's running a lot better now too, yay!

I then wanted to see if it was as easy on my car, so I just googled the make, model, year of my car and the video was RIGHT THERE on youtube so I watched it, went to my car, found the filter, took it out, looked at it, saw it was clean and put it back and then I realized that I know how to change the air filter in two types of vehicles (and I bet some more just cuz some others will have the same layout!)

So, yeah, dude.... I'm actually pretty stoked and proud of myself even though it's a really small thing and in the realm of auto mechanics it's not all that special but still.  Woo hoo me!

Ahhhhhhh

I've had a good, relaxing few days here and I am so happy and thankful for that.  I really am.

I booked myself some absolute nothing time a month or so ago for the week around/after Christmas.  And I hope that that's something I'll be able to do every year from now on because I am so very happily relaxed and it's a lovely feeling!

Christmas itself was unexpected.  As in... I did not expect a delightful Christmas Eve snow (EEEE!!!!) and I really did not expect the stomach bug (???) that hit me just as I was about to head out the door Christmas morning.

I called Jason in a panic and he insisted I head over to his place where he gave me permission to do nothing (because as in rough shape as I was I was still fairly determined to drive, in the snow, to see family and although food wasn't my friend I was still determined to make it to the Christmas dinner I'd committed to.) which I really needed.... because yeah, I was not well, but it didn't occur to me that I was "allowed" to take care of myself.  So Jason insisted and I did just that.  Nothing.

I slept.  I rested.  I took in fluids.  And that's about it.

He had a quiet Christmas planned for himself anyway so we just kind of hung out quietly all day.  There may have been napping (I'm sure I did anyway) and there may have been tv or Netflix or a movie or two, I honestly don't have a strong memory of what the day included, I just know it was the first time I didn't see family... or have any of the usual food stuffs, or anything and you know what?  It was the most relaxing day.

Boxing Day was more of the same and I cancelled the dinner plans I'd had for the Wednesday (which reminds me,  I have dinner plans tomorrow!) and I saw my parents one day last week and my brother another and both visits were super nice.  Happy, fun, light, the right length, and no stress at all.

So it's almost like I want to figure out how to not to Christmas again next year (but without the flu part) because that was the most relaxing Christmas I've had since I was a kid.

And I've done very little since.  I had a massage appointment (cuz my entire right arm is trying to revolt and start its own country or something) but that's it.  It's been chilling, relaxing, vegging, cozying, you name it.... all the good stuff.

Hung with Jason for New Years, which is the first time I've not just been quietly by myself in a long time.  We chilled, I took some time to myself to contemplate and think on what I'd like for the coming year and then we toasted the New Year and sang along to some good music.  It was mellow and nice.

I'll totally take that as my theme for this year if it's on offer, by the way... "mellow and nice"? Yes please!

So a very happy New Year to you all.  I'm absolutely loving doing nothing.  Ahhhhhhhhhhh.  (That's a happy sigh)

Happy New Year!!!

Happy New Year loves!

Enjoy your day and here's to a safe, happy and loving 2018.