Archive for the ‘Chronicle’ Category
It’s Relative
Let me just point out that, upon reading about Boneless Lean Beef Trimmings (BLBT), also called Finely Textured Beef (FTB), ( article about trying to find ‘pink-slime’-free beef ) which the United States Department of Agriculture says is safe to eat, because it has been sprayed with ammonia gas to kill germs, but which comes mostly from connective tissue, not muscle meat, low-grade trimmings from the parts of the cow most susceptible to contamination, often close to the hide, which is highly exposed to fecal matter, I am pining for the good old days when life was simpler.
I would prefer we gain the technological advances like polio vaccines and penicillin, and knowledge about the hazards of things like lead, mercury, and asbestos, but leave out messing with food production to find ways to process it into less and less recognizable “conveniences.” Much as I love a bowl of cereal and milk for breakfast, I’m thinking a simple apple might be advisable (a nod to a friend there…). What do they do to the corn, oats, wheat, and rice to turn it into the shapes that ultimately end up in my bowl?
On the grand scale of things, I could be concerned about the attention going toward the viral campaign to arrest brutal Ugandan warlord Joseph Kony, or I could become focused on the fact that it is not balanced with more pressing immediate needs of helping refugees. Or, I could fritter away my time, tending to the removal of old wallpaper in my home. Challenges are relative.
On that note, you really should take a look at the wonderful reference of scale provided by htwins.net. Scale of the Universe. It’s all relative.
Change Happening
I’m contemplating the relativity of fast, and slow. Change feels like it is picking up some momentum around my living quarters lately. At the same time, the process of preparing the house for actually showing to shoppers will take weeks that could turn into months. The process of selling the house could drag on for months. Actually closing on the purchase, when a buyer commits, will likely be another month or two. Who knows how long it might take to find a horse property that wins our hearts and fits our bank account?
Thinking like that helps drive me to get going! If I don’t get some progress in motion right away, those accumulated months will just keep landing farther and farther away.
Regardless, I feel like things are happening fast. I have a meeting at the house this afternoon with a friend whose company can do drywall finishing to finally clean up the holes punched in our ceilings during last fall’s insulating project. We also have some seams that need fixing, and a fair amount of nicks and dings in walls. After all the drywall is fixed, work moves on to the painting. The last step will be carpets, in any rooms where I am unable to convince Cyndie otherwise.
I’ve disassembled our electric piano for Elysa to pick up this weekend. I have removed an old television from the wall-hanger in our bedroom and will be passing that on to someone at work who offered to find it a good home.
Last night I was looking for manuals to put with the piano and television and was amazed to see how many manuals we still have in our files for items that are long gone. I should say, “still had” because they’re in the recycle bin now! It feels especially good to be making progress on de-cluttering.
Took some steps related to a name Cyndie and I are considering using for our new property.
Feels like things are happening fast! Sort of.
Meanwhile, we don’t know if Cyndie will be working in Boston for a short time, or a long time. She is due home for another visit in just a week and a half, so we’ll see if all the changes I accomplish by then have an impact that motivates her in any direction.
Finally, Progress
One of the things that feeds my hesitation to get underway with projects –like the most prominent one before me right now– is a lack of a clear plan. I don’t like to just jump in and get under way without enough forethought to avoid unnecessary inefficiencies, like moving furniture multiple times, or missing a step that should have occurred earlier in a process.
I don’t have a firm grasp on either the big picture, or the individual details of the process we will be going through to sell our house and move. I have what I would describe as a rudimentary vision of preparing our house for sale, while also shopping for a new property, and figuring out what to do with our belongings if the timing doesn’t seamlessly align.
Most immediately, we intend to spruce up our current living quarters. I’m told we will replace some carpet, remove some wallpaper, and paint some rooms. The first thing I was planning to do was take down everything hanging on our walls. One thing that has delayed my start with that project was my not being able to visualize what to do with everything I take down.
I started to collect some boxes and packing material, but quickly realized it will be unlikely that many of our items will fit into boxes. The items that could fit are going to require a lot more boxes than I have so far. I researched how moving companies suggest preparing framed pictures. We are going to need a LOT of bubble wrap, too.
Yesterday, in order to make some progress, I decided to just stack pictures for the time being. I ended up with multiple stacks in about 5 different rooms.
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Then I went throughout the entire house removing nails and picture hangers from the walls. The person who hangs most of the items on the walls in our family (not me) tends to use a wide variety of nails, screws, and hooks.
Once I got started, I decided to give some of the old wallpaper in our bedroom a little tug. Most of it came free without even needing to get the old glue wet. On one wall, there was older wallpaper underneath, but the other 3 walls had none.
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It looks a little crazy, but at least I finally got the first task underway. Unfortunately, I’ve still got a LOT of work to do, protecting all the picture frames I took down. And after I accomplish that, I’ve got to figure out where I’m going to stash them!
I’d sure like to avoid having to move them more times than is absolutely necessary.
Almost Untitled
And suddenly it was my turn to write something that meant something to someone; someone I might not even know who was reading at the time. But what time is that? Right after I write it, or later, even years on down the line? Day after day I lumber after inspiration that will fuel anticipation that fuels acceleration toward some product for presentation to someone I might not even know. The prose that time produces comes with intermittent spruces of ticky tacky spices, frosting each and every reason, some for not my even doing it. The lyrical and the nonsensical mix in intangible and intelligible ways that behoove at least attention toward a morsel of intention for a purpose couched in a greater good. There is laughter which may come later, but the importance of now seems even greater, and it’s hard to really know that the reason may not show even though it’s laid out there plain as day for all to see…
It has been a quiet week in my world, but that doesn’t mean there hasn’t been a lot of activity. I’ve been quite the social butterfly, with something going on each day this entire weekend. The one thing I’ve intended to accomplish continues to get pushed forward, leaving this afternoon a primary target. On my mind is the fact that Cyndie and I have again gone many days without successfully making connection, but I think I’m growing accustomed to it, so I definitely fret less when this happens. I am supposed to be removing all the things hanging on the walls in our home in preparation for restorations needed to properly show the house. In some ways, it appears easy enough to do, but I’m guessing a somewhat more subtle reason contributes to my repeated delays.
What can I say? I’m a much-rehearsed procrastinator. What is it that appeals to me so much in delay? I wonder if it is more, that (the delay), than the simple avoidance of ultimate tasks. I’ll let you know, if I get around to it, and if I somehow discern an answer of any particular clarity.
What do you think the chances are of that?
Helpless Feeling
Waiting, powerless, for nature to take its course and drape our trees with heavy burdens of ice and then snow, is a real exercise, but not one that is very rewarding. I am always fascinated with dramatic weather events, but when a storm involves the slow stress of accumulating ice on otherwise innocent tree branches, my fascination becomes tumbled with a bit of anxiety. Presently, this region is beset with an ugly, grumbling winter storm. Trees are drooping big time.
What can I do? I binged on a few extra Girl Scout cookies last night that were left as gifts by guests of our weekend event. It doesn’t quite solve the helpless feeling, but it massages the pleasure centers of taste and texture, providing a temporary distraction. (All those good intentions of last week, where I walked and exercised every day, diminished, by a moment of weakness.)
We have lived in the house on this lot for about 25 years. Just 3 days ago, Cyndie and I met with a realtor to begin the process of selling this home, and buying a horse farm. It would be a shame to lose trees any time, but right now would be very unfortunate timing. I won’t be available to clean up downed timber. I am tasked with removing wallpaper.
What is the deal with wallpaper? When it was installed during our remodel, it was the crowning achievement. It finished the rooms beautifully. All the comments we received were positive.
Now that it is time to sell, wallpaper has got to go. Out with it before somebody sees it!
What changed?
Why do people even bother putting wallpaper up if they are going to have to take it back down again, and it is such a pain to remove? I don’t understand “decorating.”
Drooping tree limbs. Wallpaper that has fallen out of favor. They both give me a helpless feeling.
Sleep Well
One thing I have discovered, after having had a couple of months on my own… I sleep really well when I am alone. ‘Nuff said.
Today dawns sunny and relatively calm, despite days of forecast that we would get snowfall. I expect it is now scheduled to happen later in the day. I remember taking note about Sunday’s weather, because this is the day that Cyndie will be flying back to Boston. We have had a wonderful few days back together again, but our time together now is limited.
Last night we played hosts to a gathering of family, friends and neighbors who took advantage of Cyndie’s brief visit home and stopped by to hear some of her stories. I suggested people come find out if she is developing a Boston accent, but I don’t think anyone really thought for a second that she would have been so influenced.
Having people come to her was a great treat for Cyndie and she had a wonderful time, thanking me over and over for suggesting the idea. It pays off for me, because, instead of her running off to see all her friends when she gets home for a visit (leaving me alone, even though she is here in town), I am still with her. Not to mention, I have a windfall of a variety of leftover foods to eat after everything is over and Cyndie leaves again.
I will be sad to see her go, but it won’t be too distressing, as she has already purchased 5 more flights home in the coming months. Knowing we have regular visits scheduled each month will make the weeks between, much easier for me to manage.
In the mean time, I will make an extra effort to pay attention to the blessings of an uninterrupted night’s sleep.
Glorious Day
I had a grand time yesterday, together with my wife again! Since I took the day off work, it felt like a holiday for me. We picked up this week’s Birdsong Soup, went out for breakfast at The Original Pancake House in Eden Prairie, then had a nice walk in a local park. We did a couple of shopping errands, had soup for lunch, and then went out to visit the horses. After that, we enjoyed a couples massage appointment, followed by take-out Chinese dinner from Dragon Jade restaurant in Glen Lake. We ordered the movie, “Tower Heist” on demand from cable TV and laughed our way through it. Finished off the day watching Foo Fighters: Back and Forth documentary online at Hulu. The day was so nice, I felt pangs of regret that it would make me feel reeeally lonely on Monday after she heads back to Boston again. Knowing that I should be living in the moment, I quickly dashed the thought and got back to enjoying the heck out of a totally glorious day!
Special Visitor
She’s home! What better way to celebrate than with a slice of her favorite Gina Maria’s pizza. Enough said.
Night Snow
Snow fall is so rare around here this winter, it becomes a major happening. The other night, as inches actually accumulated, I was drawn to step out into the darkness to experience the thrill.
Now I must go and prepare the house for a visit from Cyndie. I will go directly from work this afternoon to pick her up at the airport. I had the pleasure of speaking with her on the phone last night and I explained that I needed to go around the house and take down the pin-up girl posters and get the beer out of the refrigerator and get rid of all the cigars and ashtrays. She laughed.
Perfect. She doesn’t suspect a thing. 🙂
More Randomness
mirror all fogged up!
Think about this: when you look yourself in the eye, in the reflection of your mirror, which eye do you naturally default to looking at?
It’s one or the other.
When you are doing tasks in front of the bathroom mirror, say, like brushing your teeth, gazing at yourself because that is what is there in front of you, (discounting you are one to wander off and walk around during the process like some people I know), do you look into your own eyes and not just at your general appearance?
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I was listening to my iTunes music library on shuffle last night. Just like how I enjoy the random images that my screen saver pulls out of the collection of jpeg images on the hard drive, I discover music anew when the random mix pulls up something I haven’t heard for what feels like lifetimes. One out of the many that gave me a kick last night was, Pat Benatar’s 1984 song “We Belong” with the chorus of children’s voices singing in the background. It’s the kind of song that I would have been driven mad from hearing it too often, and acquired a particular distaste for, but from the distance of almost 30 years… fun to hear again! Like magic!
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I’m a big fan of live recordings, but there is one thing that goofs up my shuffle mode of the digital era: introductions to songs that get coded as a separate cut. I hear the setup for the song by the artist, and then shuffle whisks away to a completely different artist/song. It just doesn’t work.
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I saw the movie, “Safe House” last night and got what I was expecting out of it, which was good. I was entertained. But… I tend to struggle with suspending my disbelief for details in movie scenes. It is distracting if something illogical is allowed to play out without acknowledgement. If you are going to have your main characters drive right up to a very large gathering of people at a major event, at least make up a reason why they would be able to pull into an open parking spot right in front with no delay in traffic. There was too much movie to make for them to worry about details like that. They had a story to tell, and that was just a piddly detail I was supposed to ignore.
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There is no denying that I am growing increasingly excited for the pending visit of my lovely wife this coming weekend. It will be an exercise of managing expectations, I am sure. Managing my expectations is an exercise I could use some work on lately, in a variety of areas of my life. I seem to be off target, because certain ones just aren’t being met.
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Speaking of exercise, I’m on a roll for the half-hour daily walk and series of therapeutic exercises for my back ever since Sunday’s unpleasant return of lumbar disk pain. So far, so good, for preventing any further discomfort. Was this a warning shot to help me realize these steps aren’t going to be just occasional projects for me, but a lifelong mode of operation?
