Thursday, January 01, 2009

Boom, boom, boom

It's still sounding off. Happy New Year, everyone.

Charlie and Lio went with me out to the front yard. Charlie was a little concerned about the noise but she was more interested in chasing Lio. Lio acted like he was annoyed but he kept coming back for more. I had a pleasant few minutes outside with a couple of animal buddies. I got a little wistful and teary thinking about what has been and what may be coming. Good stuff this year, ok?

Resolutions?

1. Pull this house together. The garage, too.
2. Related to that- Purge! Get rid of stuff. I took a load to Second Time Around today and it felt gooood.
3. Keep losing weight and improving my health.
4. Do a better job of handling my life.
5. Write some more songs.

That's all I can think of right now.

15 comments:

Anonymous said...

Happy New Year!
Carl is on the way to the airport with the kids-we printed boarding passes before they left- no more missed flights :)
I miss them already :(
We booked our flights for CA in August-got a good price and one ticket free with my Miles One card!
I like your resolutions-except I think you're already handling your life very well-look at all you've done AND your weight loss-you rule!!

Mommala

Donita Curioso said...

Back atcha, Bill!

Thanks, Anne. What I'm talking about is the nuts and bolts of my life. Stuff like paying bills on time and car maintenance and money management. I really could do better with those things. I still have some loose ends with the Jim stuff. I stopped dealing with that for a while because I got tired of crying on the phone with people who were clueless and didn't give a shit. I'm in a better place for that now.

I'm glad you had a good visit with the kids. Yes, a week is too short. I hope they reach a point where they can take two vacations to New York per year. Then Lindsay can see what it looks like without all that silly snow all over the place.

We'll see you in August!

Nancy said...

Happy New Year Doni!

I like all your resolutions, and they are the same as mine. I think you're doing a fine job of handling your life. If I had to be on top of every bill, car maintenance issue and financial crap, I'd be totally sunk - gasping for air. I really admire you for all you do.

I've been purging stuff too - but I do it for a day or so and then stop for months. Books are the hardest. I have tons of books that I don't need anymore - especially software books. They're so hard to get rid of because I paid so damn much for them - but I have to get over it -- they're not worth anything anymore! I don't need to reference them anymore, and if I did, I can find the answers to any of that stuff on the web. Maybe that's a good project for today.

VO said...

Hey, happy new year! LOL, I was just thinking about being able to handle all the mundane stuff better myself.

Cheers to an easier year for everything!

Brother Atom Bomb of Reflection said...

Happy New Year!

Donita Curioso said...

Nancy- Jim had TONS of software books. I looked them all up on... can't remember the website but I'm sure it wouldn't be hard to find. Anyway, none of them had much value. They all went to Goodwill.

Whenever I feel like I can't get rid of something because of how much it cost to buy I try to remember to think about how much it's costing me to keep it. Those things often take up valuable space and they're an energy suck.

Two big causes of useless clutter; It cost a lot to buy, and it MIGHT be useful someday. I'm way guilty of indulging the second one. I keep too much crap thinking I might need it someday, or maybe someone else will need it. I'm trying to be more rigorous with myself with that one.

Change of subject.- It's funny. Paige is calling me Charlie's grandma. I used that word once and now it's stuck. Paige was partying with her friends last night so Charlie spent the night with me. Man, she was so good. She slept next to me, Ivy (who never sleeps with me) was sleeping on the pillow above my head and Lio was snuggled up behind my head. I was surrounded by snoozy critters.

Charlie is very easy to train. She's catching on to the rules very quickly. So far her only downside is she loves to roll in stinky stuff. We have to keep an eye on her when she's outside. If she gets too interested in something on the ground you'd better grab her fast or you'll be giving her a bath. But other than that, she's a little dreamboat. Dean, she's the same color as your chiwas. I really didn't want Paige to get a puppy but now that she's here I'm really enjoying her.

Anonymous said...

Heh--there's nothing like jealousy to make your animals cuddle up to you. Not that you're not stand-alone loveable.

Speaking of nuts and bolts--yesterday I literally put my nuts and bolts in order. I organized all my tools and put my screws and nails into those tiny plastic-drawer things. I got all my screwdrivers in one place. I have a ton of screwdrivers. I never know where one is, so I go buy one. Now I have plenty. Anybody need a screwdriver?

-dean

mopsym--short line of sight caused by intervening junk.

Donita Curioso said...

I've got nothing but mopsym here. I know I have a bizillion tools but they're scattered and packed away. It's a slow process but I am getting things cleared out of the garage. Once I have it sufficiently cleared out I can gut it, paint it and set up my cabinets and shelves. What a happy day that will be! And I'll bet when that happens I'll find about 50 screwdrivers.

Anonymous said...

You'll laugh, super handy-woman, when I tell you this, but I just recently learned how to screw in a screw with a drill. It is much, much easier. And now I can buy those plastic drywall screw-anchors that go in with a drill, too. Except for the time I screwed through the drywall and made a 3-inch hole, it works really well.

-dean

Donita Curioso said...

Oh come on, you've watched enough HGTV to have learned that long ago. A drill kicks ass when it comes to screwing screws. I put the whole rabbit cage together using a drill and screws. I have a really good drill. I bought it for Jim 3 Christmases ago. I paid extra and got one that could handle masonry (we lived in a brick house). Jim was a little uncomfortable with how much I spent but he quickly got over it. He looooved his drill.

I used it today, as a matter of fact. I installed a cat door. Jeez-o-pete! It should have taken me 20 minutes to do it but I must have a super-duper hardwood door. Either that, or the jigsaw blade was dull. Maybe both. Anyway, I had a hell of a time cutting the hole. I used the drill to make some pilot holes and then used the jigsaw to cut the hole. It took me about 2 hours but in the end I was victorious.

My cats can now come and go as they please. Except Ivy never wants to go out so I had to shove her through the hole. She quickly figured out how to get back in. Tomorrow I'm putting the litter box and their food outside.

Hey, I've been invited to do another show at the church. This one's a quickie. The performance is the first weekend in February. It's a Victorian/Dickens/music hall kind of thing. I get to dust off my british accent and sing big. Should be fun.

Anonymous said...

Well I've seen people use drills as screwdrivers, but it seemed mysterious and scary to me, as do all wood/metal attachment projects. I do find that the quality of the drill makes quite a difference. I have a really crappy one that won't hang onto a bit. It's selling point was that you don't need a chuck, but that's no advantage if the bit swirls around because you can't tighten the grabby part. Greg's dad insulted my drill, and he knows. KC has a better one that I've sort of acquired over time, although she can have it back whenever she wants it. What kind do you have? I don't know that I would buy one, I just don't use it that much, but I'd like to know.

When do you start rehearsal?

-dean

Donita Curioso said...

I meet with them on Sunday. I don't know the schedule yet.

My drill is a Bosch Compact 14.4v. It came with 2 rechargeable batteries. I think it cost around $200. I just read all the descriptions they had at Lowe's and bought the cheapest one that could handle masonry.

Whoa, I just checked eBay and you can get them for about $130. There's actually one there now for $25 but it doesn't come with batteries or the charger and you really need those.

Anonymous said...

We needed a circular saw when we redecorated KC's condo (When you come remind me to show you my furniture cuts with the circular saw. You will expend many calories laughing your ass off.) and a cordless one couldn't cut it, we tried. We had to get a corded one for enough power to cut about 1/2" of butcher block.

-dean

punspe--a Yorkshire pudding like side dish with peas

Donita Curioso said...

I have two circular saws. I could have sent you one.

A circular saw and a good drill are essential. I also have Jim's router, which I've never used. I'm going to learn how to use it when I finally cut my bed down. It needs to go from a king size to a queen. Many cuts must be made but only one board end needs to be routed.

Anonymous said...

I have not done a router, but I like what a router does.