tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-46932178964387413072024-03-07T02:22:47.536-08:00Lifeguard of Lovetowards a simpler lifestyle.Liinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06930216949771669664noreply@blogger.comBlogger93125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4693217896438741307.post-81856996869631169332013-04-02T13:04:00.002-07:002013-04-02T13:04:54.760-07:00no one can sing the blues like no one.I have a rock n roll record blog now, if anyone is interested: http://noonesblues.blogspot.com/<br />
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Every couple of weeks I pull a record title from a bin of record titles; then I write an essay about it. <i>Safe as Milk</i> by Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band is up next.Liinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06930216949771669664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4693217896438741307.post-84895817651179553242012-06-04T10:27:00.001-07:002012-07-25T11:39:27.884-07:00Hi.<span style="font-size: small;">I basically no longer maintain this blog. I mostly do <a href="http://kissthiskissthatyeah.tumblr.com/">this</a>. In life, I'm self-studying Queer Theory and gardening, and working on our record collection, and leading a journal workshop.</span>Liinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06930216949771669664noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4693217896438741307.post-84450722557790120412011-11-29T11:11:00.000-08:002011-11-29T11:17:51.712-08:00<center><br /><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7012/6419085227_18ddfac9d0_z.jpg"><br />I tend towards maximalism when it comes to my Christmas Tree.<br /></center>Liinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06930216949771669664noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4693217896438741307.post-25445618618445861312011-11-07T14:43:00.000-08:002011-11-07T14:47:00.650-08:00<span style="font-size:85%;">I'm totally not into any of this right now. I'm writing a silly novel about teenage stoners, learning about all the horrible shit that's going on in the world, & enjoying life. All at the same time!<br /></span>Liinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06930216949771669664noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4693217896438741307.post-51218560962046807332011-10-10T10:31:00.000-07:002011-10-10T10:43:36.022-07:00<span style="font-size:85%;">I've been away from the Minimalist/Declutter Blog World for awhile. Cutting and pasting <a href="http://kissthiskissthatyeah.tumblr.com/">HERE</a> (where you'll see pretty pictures representing my filthy rock & roll side), and I spent 10+ days away from the internet when I visited my relatives in Illinois in the middle of September.<br /></span><p><span style="font-size:85%;">Now I'm doing something that I think I might like to blog about, so I'll give it a shot and see if it sticks.</span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">For 6 weeks, which started October 1, I'm doing a food allergy test diet, as recommended by my <a href="http://www.docgriffith.com/">naturopathic doctor</a>, which eliminates corn, wheat, dairy, and (most sadly) beer/alcohol.</span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">But it is SO EXCITING! Immediately I became enamored with cooking new things, which I haven't done in a long time, tending to make the same meals when it was my turn to cook. Conveniently, it's squash season, and we loooooooooooooooooooove squash at my house! I am choosing foods and eating more mindfully. I feel really great, but it's only been about a week, so I don't know if I'm really feeling a *difference* or not. Probably, I just feel a difference because I'm so inspired about cooking and eating!<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">Almost everything I've made so far is vegan, except when I've used chicken stock, haha.<br /></span></p><ul><li><span style="font-size:85%;">Cajun Spice Potatoes & Apples, (home made) Tempeh Sausage, black beans, diced tomato<br /></span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">Sweet Potato, Pear, Kidney Bean, and Kale soup (chicken stock)<br /></span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">Buckwheat cakes with blueberry syrup (just frozen blueberries and 2 tbsp Grade A maple syrup)<br /></span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">Bitchin’ Hummus<br /></span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">Acorn Squash with Millet, white beans, onions, shallots, garlic, dinosaur kale, miso tahini dressing</span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">Hot and cold cereals with adzuki beans and brown rice or millet, applesauce, soy milk, fresh fruit, cinnamon, cayenne pepper, and ginger powder<br /></span></li></ul><span style="font-size:85%;">Of course I've eaten other stuff, but that's what I've cooked. This past weekend my husband and I were representing the company we work for at <a href="http://www.wordstockfestival.com/">Wordstock</a> in Portland, so I didn't have my own kitchen comforts. We ate twice at <a href="http://laughingplanetcafe.com/">Laughing Planet</a>, where I had the Steamed Veggies, Rice and Beans bowl, which is freaking amazing, and once at <a href="http://paradoxorganiccafe.com/">The Paradox Cafe</a>, where I had a tofu scramble on seasoned potatoes with steamed veggies. (That is one thing I love about Portland - YOU CAN HAVE STEAMED VEGGIES AT A RESTAURANT. I don't think that is ever an option in Olympia - veggies are fried in grease only!). On our way home, we ate at the Whole Foods deli in Vancouver. When we weren't eating out, the food front was kind of a bummer for me. During the day at the event, I subsisted on instant lentil soup (it shouldn't be so hard to get hot water at a convention center!) and rice cakes and rice crackers with peanut butter. I can't really complain, but it just wasn't <i>satisfying</i>. I had kind of a calorie deficit and/or low blood sugar, and I got cranky. (Kaden found me a food co-op near our hotel and I got almond milk and a funny chocolate wheat-free cookie). </span><p><span style="font-size:85%;">I've made a commitment, and I'm dedicated to it. I don't know if I'd have been able to do it a couple years ago - I probably wouldn't have tried, because I didn't know how to cook much or create my own meals. Now I am surprised by how easy it is to keep my commitment. I don't feel <i>tempted</i> to eat outside my restrictions, only maybe a little bummed when Kaden is eating an expensive artisan loaf with poppy seeds. I intend to try my hand at some vegan, gluten free baking this week!</span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">If anyone wants any of these recipes, I'd be happy to post them. I'm kind of thinking of trying out a food/recipe blog, since I tend to think the meals I invent are pretty fucking exciting. I almost never use a recipe without at least modifying it!<br /></span></p>Liinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06930216949771669664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4693217896438741307.post-53407180377524672011-08-22T08:36:00.000-07:002011-08-22T09:17:01.819-07:00I've Decluttered, Now What?<span style="font-size:85%;">I love decluttering. Sometimes I feel like it is my life's work, what I am meant to do. Sometimes it is my favorite thing to do.</span><p><span style="font-size:85%;">But it's the next step that is a pain in my ass, <i>getting rid of stuff</i>. I declutter and everything goes into a pile (preferably in a box or bag) behind my couch, which puts it basically in the walkway between the dining room and living room. Several weeks ago we took the memory foam topper off of our bed. I have a friend I am going to give it to. Weeks after that, I laundered the cover, and put it in a huge garbage bag to deliver. It has been weeks more since then. We also cleared off a bookshelf; have a friend to give it to. It has sat empty for, again, weeks. I also have bags of clothes that have been in the "get rid of stuff" area for months. And some books and DVDs that were borrowed and need to be returned. I have a box of stuff that I was going to send to my friend James probably 8 months ago. It sat by my desk at work, waiting to be shipped. Then James actually moved back to town...and the box is still sitting by my desk. At work.</span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">It's been a weird time the past couple of weeks. I've had a typing job to do that is taking up all my spare at-home time, and besides that I've just been <i>busy</i>, I don't know with what. We spent 4 weekends in a row away from home, which meant at least one of the 5 weeknights spent packing and prepping. This weekend we finally stayed home, but the weather was beautiful <i>and</i> I had to type (luckily on the laptop outside!), so what I'm trying to say is, I haven't spent much time <i>inside</i> the house. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">On Saturday night we watched <i>Amelie</i> and I'd never seen it before. After that our house looked perfect, all glowy yellow, before we went to bed. But Sunday it was all hot and bright outside and dark and dirty inside. When I finish my typing job I'll do some real work around there. But I want to take the clothes to Buffalo Exchange in Bellingham. We're going to Bellingham at the end of September.</span></p>Liinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06930216949771669664noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4693217896438741307.post-54704925541368590512011-08-18T11:57:00.000-07:002011-08-22T09:17:19.872-07:00<span style="font-size:85%;">I am feeling really down today about the state of food safety. I may or may not have mentioned this before, but the past couple years of my life have been marked by a sometimes-near-paralyzing phobia of foodborne illness (something I have been blessed to never have experienced). I am doing MUCH BETTER these days, truthfully, more comfortable eating lots of things without worry, but yesterday both raw hazelnuts and green onions entered my household, and they <i>happen</i> to be two of my longest-lingering fears. <i>Then</i> I spent some time reading FDA Warning Letters this morning and it really freaked me.
<br />
<br />SOOOOOOOOOOOO I am going to do a Things I Love Thursday to lift my spirits! Because seriously it's just fear, and most food is perfectly safe to eat when prepared properly, something Kaden and I are very careful about.
<br />
<br />Some Things I Love:
<br /></span><nl><span style="font-size:85%;">
<br /></span></nl><nl></nl><ol><li><span style="font-size:85%;">Hoppy beers - particularly Lagunitas Hop Stoopid.
<br /></span>
<br /></li><li><center><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6063/6053513252_9863b54e49.jpg" /><p><span style="font-size:85%;">Where we stayed last weekend, Crystal Hotel, Portland, Oregon</span></p></center></li><li><center><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6210/6052963629_e20a55458b.jpg" /><p><span style="font-size:85%;">Havin' a time with my man</span></p></center></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">The sunny weather we've had for the last few days! (even if it's lousy and gray today)
<br /></span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">This new (old) CD we got, <i>Fourteen Songs for Greg Sage and The Wipers</i>. It's more nineties than nineties.
<br /></span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">Speaking of nineties, I saw <i>So I Married an Axe Murderer</i> for the first time last week, OMG I LOVED IT. duh.
<br /></span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">I made an appointment with a naturopathic doctor for my allergies & asthma, and I'm really grateful for all the subtle changes over the years that have led me to this place.
<br /></span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">Reading this book, <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Natural-Acts-Rusticity-Country-Culture/dp/0472050680/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1313694855&sr=8-5">Natural Acts: Gender, Race, and Rusticity in Country Music</a></i>. It's pretty academic so a slow read for me, but fucking <i>fascinating</i>.</span></li></ol><nl><li><p><span style="font-size:85%;">OK, slowly I'll be forgetting to think about contaminated tofu!</span></p></li></nl>Liinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06930216949771669664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4693217896438741307.post-18351951270166367372011-08-15T10:01:00.000-07:002011-08-15T10:37:58.679-07:00Micro Waves<span style="font-size:85%;">We had a lightbulb moment this weekend when we realized we <i>may be able to stop using our microwave</i>. SWEET! I am thinking of starting with just putting it in a closet or something for a month. We have kept it unplugged for quite some time now, only plugging it in maybe once a week when we use it. When a friend mentioned several months ago that she refused to keep a microwave, for health reasons, we were really surprised! How did her family live without one? Now suddenly we've found that we might be able to, as well, and it's quite a thrill. </span><p><span style="font-size:85%;">This summer has been full of amazing mini-vacations (weekends), but I have no particular desire to write about them extensively. They've been fun, rejuvenating, perfect in every way. We've seen some awesome things - a close win by the Seattle Storm, mega-beets in Eugene, an art exhibit on <a href="http://www.seattleartmuseum.org/exhibit/exhibitDetail.asp?eventID=21084">Beauty and Bounty</a>, the Pacific Ocean. I hiked some terrain that I never dreamed of being able to (so now I know I can do anything). And we stayed in a Merle Haggard themed room. We've seen 3 of our favorite bands, and I had the perfect outfit for every show. We've eaten some fabulous meals, especially the ones Kaden cooks. We've drank some delicious beers. I decided to only order IPAs from now on, because every time I try something new it disappoints. Only <a href="http://www.lagunitas.com/beers/hopstoopid.html">Hop Stoopid</a> for me! It has 102 ibus.</span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">In favor of simplicity, this past weekend we stayed at the <a href="http://www.mcmenamins.com/CrystalHotel">Crystal Hotel</a> in Portland, since we were seeing a show at The Crystal Ballroom a block away. We have friends in Portland, but decided it would be so much easier to stay right next door to the show - not worrying about where to eat and drink before the show, and how to drive across an unfamiliar city to get back to sleep on someone's floor afterward. It was pretty much the best decision we ever made. McMenamin's is a company in the Northwest that takes old buildings and renovates them into quirky, clean, relatively inexpensive hotels. Many have the option of staying in a less expensive room without a private bathroom, and sharing a bathroom down the hall with other guests. Since the buildings are old and have had many uses, they are like mazes. They're very self-contained places, with restaurants and bars and soaking pools connected, and I love that. They even have jars in the rooms so you can take it to the bar and get beer to take back to your room. We have stayed at 3 different McMenamin's in Oregon, but this was my favorite time. It's right in downtown Portland, and it was just so damn cozy. A little room with just a bed, a sink, and a table (no tv). The walls were painted dark red, with Merle Haggard lyrics and portrait (we didn't pick it, we just got lucky!). We ate at the restaurant, came back and opened the windows and sat at our little table and drank our jar of beer and talked the talk. That was when we discussed eliminating the microwave, and about tiny houses in our future (I say no less than 5 years from now; K says "what about 2?"). We weren't interested in the opening band so we actually got to spend quite a bit of time in our room, which was good, since it was $105. And I don't feel bad spending that because of the quality of the establishment, AND we stayed in an ENORMOUS $60 room in Eugene last month, so it balances!</span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">Sometimes I feel silly for enjoying McMenamin's so much, because everyone <i>thinks</i> Kaden and I should love them, because they are "quirky" and we are "quirky". But it works for us; I guess we are their target clientele, so it's good for everybody!</span>
<br /></p>Liinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06930216949771669664noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4693217896438741307.post-43106333133578514992011-07-27T10:10:00.000-07:002011-07-27T10:24:08.289-07:003 Bottles<center><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4135/4943695051_64b08b75b4.jpg" /></center><p><span style="font-size:85%;">I love these bottles. They are a Big Red and a Green River soda bottle that I got at a fruit market in Eastern Washington, on a trip with my family when I was between ages 10 and 12. I've always liked weird things. Both of these sodas are still manufactured, but the bottles are printed differently. In the Big Red bottle is some red sand from some random chunk that Cree & I found when we were walking along the train tracks by my parents' house in middle school. The third bottle is a Blue Lemonade Jones Soda bottle circa 2003. It has Peaches on the label. It still has some blue soda residue in it. The tray they are on is a 50s laminate tray with wooden handles.</span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">I have decorated with the first two bottles since I was 10 or 12, and the 3rd since 2003. When we moved from Bellingham, my mom laughed and was like "Isn't it time to let these go?" and I was like "NO WAY." Through all my decluttering, these have stayed. I did get rid of a Sioux City Sasparilla, a Coca-Cola 2005 "1 year til the Olympics", and a really really old Sprite that was fished out of my parents' lake, a few months ago. But these 3 I am seriously attached to.</span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">The green vase in the photo above broke in our last move. The lamp is in our dining room now. I am getting rid of the fake flowers because they, well, collect dust, and eliminating dust is my motivation right now. I put the white vase in a kitchen cabinet; I couldn't quite bear to part with it, but I did change out a glass vase to get rid of.</span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">If I eliminated every other "knick-knack" in the bedroom, it wouldn't be too much to dust these 3 bottles daily (which is my plan, once the bedroom is decluttered). I know they may be "sentimental clutter", but I truly do love them. Do they make my heart sing? Well, yeah, they kinda do! Would anyone else get more enjoyment out of them than I do? HIGHLY UNLIKELY. I'll give them some more time. My goal is not to eliminate <i>everything</i>, my goal is to have less dust.</span></p>Liinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06930216949771669664noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4693217896438741307.post-34334631593267084132011-07-25T08:42:00.000-07:002011-07-25T09:55:04.888-07:00Exciting & Intimidating Declutter Project: Bedroom<span style="font-size:85%;">This week, I'm about to embark on something intimidating: decluttering the bedroom.</span><p><span style="font-size:85%;">I have to, for my allergies. On our weekend vacation in Eugene, we stayed in a VERY clean room (<a href="http://www.timbersmotel.net/">Timbers Motel</a>), and I jogged for an HOUR on Sunday morning - honestly, the best run I've ever had. This morning, back at home, I was barely able to run for 20 minutes. I had allergy testing a few weeks ago, and I am most allergic to DUST. I think I vaguely mentioned my trip to the allergist in a previous post. Basically they wanted me to go on a bunch of creepy meds, and I don't want to. But I've been dragging my heels on making an appointment with a naturopathic doctor. I even found the doctor I'd like to go to. But I hate making appointments. It's silly. It takes almost no time. I've procrastinated for THREE MONTHS on scheduling a teeth cleaning before. I will do it today. How about that?</span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">I'm already frustrated and excited about decluttering the bedroom, and I haven't started yet - though I suppose visualizing and planning <i>is</i> a start! There is a totally unnecessary end table in the bedroom. All it is holding is my husband's binders from graduate school. There is an under-the-bed bin FULL of 100s of CDs. There are wedding gifts I have no intention of using under the bed. There are two bookshelves. There are 3 lamps. There is a filing cabinet. There is a dresser. There is a vintage laminate tray holding 3 old soda bottles. There is a vase with fake flowers. There is a coin jar. There is a memory foam mattress topper that I am giving to a friend but haven't gotten around to dropping it off yet. There is backpacking equipment and suitcases in the closet. Extra sheets and pillowcases. My box of stationery and zines. And all the clothes.</span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">I'd love to get it down to the bed, the dresser, the sheets and the clothes. I think the 100s of CDs in the bin will have to stay, too, for lack of an alternative.</span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">Kaden asked what we were going to do with it all. I couldn't answer.</span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">But I am going to declutter the bedroom. I am going to start this week. I am going to make an appointment with the naturopathic doctor. Today. My goal is to have my asthma and allergies managed by OCTOBER 1. And if I accomplish that (which I suppose only I can evaluate, ha ha), I will sign myself up for Gala Darling's <a href="http://galadarling.com/article/announcing-radical-self-love-bootcamp">Radical Self Love Bootcamp.</a> I'm really excited for this unusual challenge. I feel like my asthma and allergies are pretty much the only thing holding me back from realizing my full life potential. And I don't want them to control/disrupt my life any more.</span><br /></p>Liinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06930216949771669664noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4693217896438741307.post-50088755794167430182011-07-22T08:59:00.001-07:002011-07-22T09:33:00.908-07:00On Clothing.<span style="font-size:85%;">I kept saying <i>I feel a big clutter clearing coming on!</i> But after a few weeks of nothing coming to pass on that front, I was wondering if my feelings were premature.</span><p><span style="font-size:85%;">I think instead it is going to be a slow and steady clutter bust. This week I've gotten brave and been able to let go of a lot of clothes that I don't want to wear. I feel so much relief when I look in my closet. I have done a MASSIVE amount of clothing clearing over the past year and a half, but there are still some things that I force myself to wear with a certain degree of dread. They are things that my husband, or my mom and sister, have complimented me for wearing. Thinking they <i>must</i> know better than my instincts, I've continued to wear them, even though looking at them in my drawer makes me feel depressed. Haha, how absurd!! One funny thing I've noticed, however, is that I'm getting rid of almost everything in color. My wardrobe is going to be down to blue jeans with black and white and a <i>lot</i> of heather gray! The heather gray section is quickly becoming the biggest color block in my drawer. I have also gotten rid of a lot of socks. There is a big empty space in my sock drawer, which I used to have to pack down in order to shut. We're taking a weekend vacation (to Eugene, Oregon!), but after that I think I'm <i>really</i> going to be able to let go of my wardrobe.</span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">This week, I had to shop for a dress for a wedding. My goal was to find a dress I could wear to this wedding <i>and</i> to see Beirut in Portland next month. Kaden was surprised that I wanted to go to the mall, but for some reason I had it in my head that the perfect dress was just waiting for me there. My sister took me, she is a big-time shopper and we had a nice time hanging out. I brought home 4 dresses to "try" (remnants of my family's bad shopping habits, buying and returning). All of them I LOVED in the store, but when I got them home I realized how poorly they were made. Worse yet, they just weren't ME. Being a 28-year-old, "low maintenance" woman, I find the fashion world difficult to navigate. I'm not sure if it's appropriate for me to dress like a "woman" or a "girl." While a part of me is ready to grow up, I don't want to give up & give in on youth and dress like a "woman". (I guess it comes down to a fear of being boring). And the powers that be (blogs) don't seem to indicate that I have to! I <i>want</i> to look good. I want to learn how to look good. It does not seem to come naturally to me, like it does for many women & girls. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">I have settled on mediocre dresses so many times in my life. I have little patience for shopping and a bad habit of listening to what others say about what I'm wearing. Furthermore, I'm frugal, and there aren't a lot of "good" stores to shop at in my town. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">So I went to Goodwill. And I found the perfect fitting, just-right-for-ME dress, for $5.99. And I had a 30% off coupon from donating. So I got the best dress that I could wear to a wedding and to see Beirut, FOR $4.55. Go Frugality!</span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">Mini-vacation is lined up with a stop at the Woodburn Outlet Malls (Kaden needs man-shoes; we are indeed growing up). Then on to Eugene where I found a $59 motel with reviews claiming the place was clean. We're checking out University of Oregon campus, eating at a vegan BBQ restaurant and visiting the Ninkasi Brewery!</span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">And I'll be letting go of all my negative clothing experiences when I return.</span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">Bonus Read: <a href="http://brooks-palmer.blogspot.com/2011/07/clutter-busting-clothes-closet.html">When In Doubt, Toss It Out</a> by Brooks Palmer. Brooks and his girlfriend help each other clean out their closets! Their little story was my inspiration to really let go of clothing that made me feel negative.</span></p>Liinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06930216949771669664noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4693217896438741307.post-45150790645925063962011-07-13T13:42:00.000-07:002011-07-13T14:08:13.568-07:00Giving Thanks!<span style="font-size:85%;">First of all, BIG TIME thanks to Tanja at <a href="http://www.minimalistpackrat.com/">Minimalist Packrat</a> for linking me in her <a href="http://minimalistpackrat.com/2011/07/13/6-minimalist-and-simple-living-blogs-you-might-not-know-about/">6 Minimalist and Simple Living Blogs You Might Not Know About</a> post! I was really surprised & thrilled! I did not expect to see my name there, since this isn't <i>exactly</i> a minimalist blog. But I do write about decluttering and minimalist themes. & if you are reading this without being familiar with Tanja's work, go enjoy <a href="http://www.minimalistpackrat.com/">Minimalist Packrat</a> right now!</span><p><span style="font-size:85%;"><b>Now for a little on decluttering.</b></span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">Once again I was inspired by a <a href="http://brooks-palmer.blogspot.com/2011/07/clutter-clogs-us-up.html">Brooks Palmer </a>post.</span></p><blockquote><span style="font-size:85%;">...your mind might say, "No. If I get rid of this stuff, I'll have nothing. What if I get rid of something I really need?"<br />That's the hypnosis talking.</span></blockquote><p><span style="font-size:85%;">I have been making a mental list of the things that I got rid of during my last clutter clearing that I've needed or wanted. There are a couple I can think of off the top of my head...a DVD of <i>Dazed and Confused</i>, and a feng shui book I wanted to refer to. I was thinking of writing a post about all the things I decluttered that I wish I'd kept, just to prove the flipside.</span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">But reading Brooks' post, I realized, <i>I don't actually need those things</i>. Has not being able to watch <i>Dazed and Confused</i> (which I never would have time for, I just happened to see a bit of it on TV at my folks and remembered that I loved it), or refer to my feng shui book, diminished my quality of life <i>in the least</i>?</span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> Absolutely not! The mild wish that I still had those things is <i>nothing close</i> to the feeling of power and pride I had letting them go.</span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">It's getting close to another round of decluttering. We just haven't been in the house much the past few weeks, because the weather has been nice. But Kaden has mentioned lately that he is ready to get rid of more stuff than he was the last clutter clearing round (February-April or so). So we'll probably get into it shortly. We have a get-rid-of bag of clothes and a box of books we've been slowly adding to. We'll get there, and now I know with confidence that we are unlikely to miss anything!</span></p>Liinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06930216949771669664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4693217896438741307.post-54873552433232307832011-07-08T10:36:00.000-07:002011-07-08T10:38:01.496-07:00My Folks & Clutter<span style="font-size:85%;">I started writing this post about 10 days ago.</span><p><span style="font-size:85%;">Here is how it started</span></p><blockquote><span style="font-size:85%;">My parents' clutter is breaking my heart. We have gone over there every Tuesday for a couple of months, to do laundry and grill food. But we stopped by briefly on Sunday, to say "Happy Father's Day," and it was too gnarly in there. It smelled awful. Kaden always says it smells like cat poop, but I don't smell that. I could only smell the dishcloth, filling up the whole kitchen.</span><p><span style="font-size:85%;">But cut out the whining; I want to help. That is a HUGE reason I wanted to move back to Olympia from Bellingham, truth be told. I figured I'd be over there every weekend clutter clearing, and we'd have them dug out and ready to retire to Texas in no time!</span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">Over the years, the things I've read about clutter have become second nature to me. It is OBVIOUS to me that clutter holds you back, prevents you from moving forward in your life, and stands in the way of relationships, especially with yourself. I also understand the flip side: what would you have to face, if you didn't have a house plus 4 sheds full of clutter? If you didn't have the overwhelming 3/4 acre, all hill piece of property to tame? If your 22 year old daughter (my sister) ever left home.</span></p></blockquote><p><span style="font-size:85%;">Last weekend, I was over there, helping paint the house. The house has not been painted in about 25 years. The house has not been all the same color for about 5 years. My first task, after the hour-long bike ride over there (SO LUCKY to have bike trails almost the whole way!!), was to clean off the front porch. It is a bit misleading, since the "front porch" is on the opposite side from the street. My parents live on a lake, and therefore the side facing the lake is the "front."</span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">I took everything off the porch. I wish I had a picture of it. There were garden tools hid in boxes behind and under other boxes. There were pans of pretty rocks covered in spiderwebs. There were crates of old wooden shingles. There were buckets of house paint and cans of spray paint. And other stuff. You couldn't get to the grill to cook, or to the seating to relax and enjoy the lake.</span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">We did a full day of painting, and then I dug into the decluttering. I was getting tired and cranky and couldn't decide whether to stay and get the job done, or go home. And I was frustrated, especially with all the stuff my mom wanted to keep, as obviously she hadn't used any of it in at least a year - it was buried!</span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">The next day, I was recounting the story to my husband, and I realized that I have to let it go. I am much more upset about my parents' clutter than they are! Maybe what I want for them isn't what I need! I am leaving that typo, because I meant "isn't what <i>they</i> need", but it's not what I need, either. I don't need them to be decluttered; I need to be decluttered. They don't mind living that way and they don't complain about it and to the best of my knowledge they don't lose things. Everything I have learned about clutter clearing has taught me that it is in their best interest to declutter. But everything I learned about clutter clearing has also taught me that you have to be ready for change, for BIG change. And if they aren't, that's not my business.</span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">From now on, I will only help when my help is requested. I am more than happy to be there and support my mom when she wants to work on it. But I can't go over and force them, I can't whine to them about why they don't need whatever item (I definitely notice my voice going into a whine in those situations). I will focus on my decluttering, when I need to, and let their clutter be until I am asked to help.</span></p>Liinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06930216949771669664noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4693217896438741307.post-66742110619487809342011-07-06T10:04:00.001-07:002011-07-06T11:30:22.141-07:00"I Don't Know What I Want."<span style="font-size:85%;">I just read this neat little story about a <a href="http://betterlatethandead.blogspot.com/2011/06/wishing-well.html?showComment=1309971837055#c5713643003672421825">Wishing Well</a> by <a href="http://brooks-palmer.blogspot.com/">Brooks Palmer</a>, the author of my favorite decluttering book, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Clutter-Busting-Letting-Whats-Holding/dp/1577316592/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1227574979&sr=1-1">Clutter Busting</a>. I love his Clutter Busting blog, every post inspires and comforts me.</span><p><span style="font-size:85%;">But this little note about the wishing well really touched me today.</span></p><blockquote><span style="font-size:85%;">I went to the wishing well.</span><p><span style="font-size:85%;">The wishing well said, "Yes, what is it this time?"</span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">I said, "I don't know what I want."</span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">The wishing well said, "Maybe you'll be alright without a day of needing something to feel okay."</span></p></blockquote><p><span style="font-size:85%;">It's a joke and I didn't include the punchline here, because the part quoted is the part that resonated with me. When I read it, I was seriously about to make a post about how "I don't know what I want."</span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">I feel like <i>wanting</i> is very important to well-being. Kaden and I were just theorizing the other day that people become depressed when they win the lottery because they no longer have any material desires that can't be fulfilled. Kaden has seen a molasses cookie in a bakery that he wants, for <i>months</i> now. But he said he probably won't ever get it, he wants to keep dreaming of it being the perfect cookie. Seriously!</span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">My BFF has been talking about the plans she and her wife are making to travel next summer. And Kaden and I used to talk about traveling a lot! We used to travel, even - in the car, staying in rest stops, but traveling nonetheless. I used to dream of traveling in an Airstream or a Gypsy Wagon; of Kaden and I being a trucker team; of owning my own home and land; of perfect midcentury furniture and vintage dresses.</span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">But now I don't. And I have had a sense of panic in my mind the past few days, about <i>what do I want?</i> If I'm not dreaming of travel - what am I dreaming of? What are my "hopes and dreams"? What do I want out of life? <i>I am approaching 30 I better decide</i>.</span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">It is not a place that I want, or a possession (although there are places and possessions I think I might enjoy!). I really, <i>really</i> want a spiritual life. I'm not sure if I can elaborate on that right now, but I realized last night, out on a walk in the warm evening, that that is what I envision for myself in the future. I don't know how I'll get there but I know that I have to try harder, in every way. I have to continue to declutter so that I can make room for my spiritual life. I have to work on celebrating my failure as learning experience, on non-violent communication, on not judging others. I have to work on yoga and Chi Running and managing my allergies holistically. I have to work on being comfortable asking for what I need and exploring pleasure*. I have to work on meditation, on The Intensive Journal, on reading spiritual texts. I have to find my spiritual home, with a spiritual leader that speaks to my spiritual needs. I have to find and know God within me. I have to let go of the fears that it still won't be enough. I have to know I'll be alright without a day of needing something to feel okay.<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size:78%;">*<i>"When you die," says the Koran, "God will call upon you to account for all the permitted pleasures you did not enjoy while on earth." The Talmud offers a similar idea: "A person will be called upon to account, on Judgment Day, for all the permitted pleasures he might have enjoyed but did not." Are there any such pleasures in your life? </i><a href="http://freewillastrology.com/horoscopes/taurus.html">From Free Will Astrology</a></span> </p>Liinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06930216949771669664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4693217896438741307.post-83466311698604240162011-07-06T08:12:00.000-07:002011-07-06T09:13:27.229-07:00The Perils of Impulse Buying<span style="font-size:85%;">Last week, I discovered that amazon.com now allows customers with the amazon.com credit card to immediately use their points straight onto their amazon.com purchases. I had like $200 of FREE MONEY! So I immediately began making purchases. I bought 4 CDs and 1 book.<p>Of these 5 items:<br /><ol><li>I purchased a CD we had already burned from the library, without checking the tracklist, just because the cover looked different.<br /><li>I purchased a CD without having heard the band, because I read a review of it that seemed to be exactly what I would want to listen to. AND THEN IT TOTALLY BLEW ASS. It was supposedly psychedelic shoegaze but it's just shitty synthesizer goth. I'm really weirded out by this, I don't know how the reviewer could have been so incorrect. But the bottom line is, I really don't want to listen to it. Ever. EDIT: OK not only do I not like this recording, I actually <i>purchased the wrong recording</i>, not the one that was recommended on the review, but a different album by the same band. Hm.<br /><li>I purchased a book that was described as "acceptable" condition. It seems to have been run over, water damaged, and covered in mold. <i>AND IT'S A BOOK ABOUT ASTHMA CARE</i>. It's readable, but I don't want to touch it.</ol><p>The other two CDs haven't arrived yet, but I do expect to love them.<p>I allowed myself to be taken in by the promise of free money and bought stuff without carefully considering what I was bringing into my home. FAIL! But my yoga teacher on Monday said we should always celebrate our failures, because how else can we learn? I'm learning.</span>Liinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06930216949771669664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4693217896438741307.post-53124194065245627532011-06-24T09:02:00.000-07:002011-06-24T09:40:22.610-07:00Floor & Fridge & Health & Hygiene<span style="font-size:85%;">My father-in-law installed new flooring in my husband's childhood bedroom. It used to have a fire-engine-red carpet that my husband picked out himself - when he was 3 years old! The new floor (woodgrain laminate) looks great. But Dad didn't want to put anything back in the room! At all! Mom said that he had kept it completely empty for two weeks, and she finally convinced him to let her put the Christmas decorations <i>inside the closet</i>. He even wanted to keep the closet empty, he was enjoying his hard work & beautiful empty space so much! I don't blame him.<p>I cleaned our fridge last night. I only had to throw out one thing, a HUGE jar of "apple butter" (why do they call it butter?) that had expired with probably only 1/2 cup taken out of it. Goes to show...economy size is not always the best choice, even if it's cheapest per unit! (I know that now, but I didn't two years ago when I bought it) But I wiped down all the surfaces, lined up every item with the label facing out. And I kept wanting to look at it, haha, admire my work. But keeping the fridge open is much more foolish than keeping a bedroom empty!</p><p>In other news, you know that <a href="http://survivingthestores.com/homemade-coconut-oil-deodorant.html">coconut oil deodorant recipe</a> that's been practically viral on the internet recently? Well it SERIOUSLY works. I made Kaden smell the pits of the shirt I wore all day yesterday, and they smelled like NOTHING. It's nothing short of a miracle!</p><p>I've had success with homemade deodorant. I also have had success with the "no 'poo" haircare method. I washed my hair with nothing but water or dry arrowroot powder from Feb 9 (the very beginning of my interest in minimalism) until June 20. I decided to wash it, finally, because I became concerned that it was contributing to my allergies, and I was afraid it might smell bad to people who are unfamiliar with natural body odors. On Monday morning I washed with a paste of baking soda and Dr. Bronner's. It made my hair so fluffy!! I'll probably do that a couple times a month now, for those reasons.</p><p>Due to my successes with natural hygiene (and man, is it less expensive than "beauty products"!!), and due to my growing distrust of the medical institution/industry, I'm going to be switching to a naturopathic doctor, and trying to learn to manage my asthma and allergies through homeopathic methods. I read about something called the Buteyko breathing method, and I'm really excited to learn more and practice it. If I can manage my asthma by a <i>breathing exercise</i>, I will be so fucking thrilled!!</p><p>So that's what's going on with me. Kaden just asked me, across our desks at work, "So, next summer, are we going to get rid of all our possessions and take an RV to Zion National Park?" I was like, "No, we're just going to take a vacation to Zion National Park. But we can definitely get rid of more possessions! I'm into that!"</p><p>For about the last month or so, maybe a little longer, I'd loosened my grip on clutter clearing, feeling a little disillusioned with the idea of minimalism. I'm still not absolutely sure that I know what minimalism is, and I needed a break to examine my everyday relationship with the stuff I still had. Now I am easing back into it. I bought some new curtains for our bedroom. Since we moved in in October, we've had red sheers over the standard dirty-white blinds. I switched them to a barely-off-white, and they open up the room SO MUCH. I know buying NEW stuff is somewhat against the principles of clutter clearing and minimalism, but it was necessary to enjoy the space fully. I also moved some furniture in the livingroom, switched the loveseat and the record shelf, which made it really cozy, and also opened it up!</p></span><p></p><center><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2222/5818058089_79fa08856c.jpg" /><br /><span style="font-size:78%;">This isn't the greatest picture, but basically the loveseat is facing the window now,<br />where it was perpendicular to it before, and now the record shelf is fully accessible.</span></center><p><span style="font-size:85%;">So I'm really happy, and had a HUGE breakthrough using Nonviolent Communication, and I'm so excited about it! This gets a little personal, but I found out among other things that Kaden really needs me to make decisions for myself, without asking his opinion or worrying about whether my choice is the same as his choice. I truly hadn't realized the extent to which I did that, or realized how that shifts responsibility for my choices onto him. I feel very happy and liberated and I am exercising my ability to make decisions already.<p><span style="font-size:85%;">And I'm reading in the sun and riding my bicycle as much as I can.</p></span></span>Liinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06930216949771669664noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4693217896438741307.post-6900138020430432942011-06-08T13:01:00.000-07:002011-06-08T13:30:41.130-07:00Throughts on Meek's Cutoff<span style="font-size:85%;">Last night we saw <a href="http://meekscutoff.com/">Meek's Cutoff</a>. We are big fans of the other work of the team involved, Kelly Reichardt and Jon Raymond. They also did <i>Old Joy</i>, and <i>Wendy & Lucy</i>, and J. Raymond is one of my favorite book writers. We had been anticipating seeing this movie for a couple months. It finally played at <a href="http://www.grandcinema.com/">The Grand Cinema</a> in Tacoma this week, and will be playing at <a href="http://www.olyfilm.org/">The Olympia Film Society</a> July 15-21.<br /><br />I surprised myself, a lot, by what I <i>expected</i> from a movie. I expected the pioneers to have sex, even if it was just as a fact-of-life kind of point. And I expected the female lead's helpfullness towards an Indian to be revealed as an attraction. I consider myself a smart, skeptical viewer! Yet I expected these things, simply because that is what we are conditioned to expect from a movie, <i>any</i> movie. Spoiler: <i>Meek's Cutoff</i> is not a sexy movie.<br /><br />I also found myself having to reel my thoughts in with regards to the Indian character. There is a scene where he is carrying a discarded sewing basket. I noticed myself thinking he was <i>childlike</i> and <i>feminized</i> because he was a grown man carrying a woman's sewing basket. OF COURSE he wanted to carry the sewing basket; the woman had earlier fixed his moccasin with tools from the sewing basket. It was valuable to him. I was so shocked by how I immediately made these gendered, racist judgments. And I'm glad I was able to reel it in and realize how absurd I was being.<br /><br />But it brought me to the question of responsibility: If I, as a smart and skeptical viewer, had these stupid thoughts, imagine what less smart and less skeptical viewers could experience. What was the significance of the sewing basket to the filmmakers? Without being an expert on the subject, I think the Indian's role was portrayed pretty OK. I wonder if they thought of that reaction, that some of the audience would find the Indian childlike and feminized when he is carrying a sewing basket, and if they could have done anything to prevent that reaction.<br /><br />Beyond these questions and concepts, the movie also brought up the futility of the Oregon Trail! WHY did anyone undertake that? I mean, as a Pacific Northwesterner, I am glad that they did - but <i>still</i>. Kaden said that they probably did it for the same reason people buy new, cruddy cookie-cutter homes in subdivisions today. I was floored. That makes so much sense! It's all for an idealistic dream that isn't thought through.<br /><br />This obviously is not a movie review, but I will say that <i>Meek's Cutoff</i> is a movie unlike any other. It is likely the most "realistic" portrayal of the Oregon Trail on film. It is plodding; the characters are literally walking the entire movie. When it ended, the group of senior citizens sitting in front of us were joking, "OK, now when does the movie begin?" and they walked out telling other patrons coming in, "Don't waste your time on this one."</span>Liinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06930216949771669664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4693217896438741307.post-43356996436584443222011-06-03T08:57:00.001-07:002011-06-03T09:01:41.177-07:00To Do List:<span style="font-size:85%;">To Do List, Summer 2011:<br /><br />1. Read lots of entertaining books, in the sun, wearing the $1.99 bikini I got from Goodwill.<br /><br />2. Clean the chrome legs of my dining table.<br /><br />3. Remove everything from bedroom and thoroughly clean. Get lighter-colored window coverings.<br /><br />4. Clean & paint FREE outdoor table I carried home from the side of the road last week.<br /><br />5. Practice nonviolent communication and reduce household stress in every way.<br /><br />6. Cook tons of good things, especially on the grill.</span>Liinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06930216949771669664noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4693217896438741307.post-76560732536404287272011-06-02T11:39:00.000-07:002011-06-02T11:51:06.578-07:00I love you! (Thursday)<span style="font-size:78%;"><i>inspired by <a href="http://galadarling.com/">galadarling.com</a></i>. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">I love you Bradford Cox, for putting free downloads on your blog. You make wonderful music. I love your Christmas songs; I love listening to them in June.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">I love you Nonviolent Communication class. You are so hard to put into practice, but so fascinating to explore.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">I love you music writing, academic and popular. You engage me. I hope I can find some examples discussing music and class relations!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">I love you dumb articles about "millennial" college graduates; the meaning of "Middle Class" is going to have to grow and change.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">I love you vegan cooking. I'm thinking about actually going pescatarian; the last several times I have eaten meat it has been soooooo worthless and disappointing.</span> <span style="font-size:85%;">But the veggie things I've cooked and eaten have been AMAZING.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">I love you hypo-allergenic mattress cover.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">I love you mid-century Technicolor Westerns. Thanks for always having Happy Endings!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">I love you stranger-girls-I-follow-on-Tumblr. Your posts are so awesome; where do you find that shit!?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">I love you Kaden Jelsing, we are going to keep having so much fun!!</span>Liinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06930216949771669664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4693217896438741307.post-37815715638117541542011-05-26T12:22:00.000-07:002011-05-26T12:46:57.700-07:00Things I Love Thursday<span style="font-size:78%;"><i>inspired by <a href="http://galadarling.com/">galadarling.com</a></i>. </span><p><span style="font-size:85%;">Gala writes, <i>This week I want to really encourage you to think about what it is you love, & what you love to do.</i> Sooooooooooo...<br /></span><ul><li><span style="font-size:85%;">I love cereal.<br /></span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">I love organizing - I've been transferring some files (2005 and older) from downstairs filing cabinet to upstairs filing cabinet at work, and it's pretty much my favorite thing to do.<br /></span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">I love learning nonviolent communication.<br /></span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">I love interacting with people and solving problems. I've been fortunate to get to help customers lately, and brainstorm changes to our website with my co-worker. I like it sooooooo much better than being glued to my desk & computer!<br /></span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">I love reading fun books. I haven't done it in awhile. I need a fun book (A NOVEL).<br /></span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">I love wearing underwear that matches my outfit, and I'm the only one who knows!<br /></span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">I love creating meals that Kaden raves about. Veggies in foil packets on the grill at my parents' house = ALWAYS A HIT. I also made a bitchin tofu scramble this week.</span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">I love this blog post <a href="http://minimalistpackrat.com/2011/05/26/creating-an-empty-vessel-and-the-tiny-house-vision/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+minimalistpackrat%2FCJpW+%28Minimalist+Packrat%29">Minimalist Packrat: Creating an Empty Vessel</a><br /></span></li></ul><span style="font-size:85%;"><p>I think that kind of helps clarify where I should take my life...</span>Liinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06930216949771669664noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4693217896438741307.post-43516835299709622802011-05-20T10:04:00.000-07:002011-05-20T10:36:29.176-07:00Doing Nothing!<span style="font-size:85%;">Sometimes I am in a state of doing LOTS OF THINGS! Like in February and March! When I was taking yoga, painting, and Lent classes, going to Unity every week, and clutter clearing every freaking day! And I Loved It!<br /><br />Now I am doing nothing! That's not totally true - But I LOVE IT! I am taking a Nonviolent Communication class, and I randomly got some typing jobs that are bringing in an extra like SEVEN HUNDRED DOLLARS this month, which just like completely blows my mind, I'm sorry to "brag" but it's just so shocking. I don't think this will be a regular thing, so it's going straaaaaaaaight to savings. But it does help buffer our vacation days. But anyway.<br /></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span><span style="font-size:85%;">I'm also not flossing! I'm not keeping the house clean! I am typing in the sun and getting a sunburn! (not right now, but when I'm working on the typing jobs). We rode bikes to Sizizis, the 24-hr coffee shop, at 5:50 this morning, before work! I felt all aggressive on my bike and shit! I'm not going to yoga! I feel a little "bad" about that because I feel like it means I won't live to be 100 like my plan if I don't do yoga every week. Buuuuuuuut, if it doesn't feel right, it doesn't feel right! I never found a yoga class I liked in Olympia, anyway. But there are more places to try; I'm not giving up I'm just taking a break.<br /></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span><span style="font-size:85%;">I'm loving Shilpa Ray and Her Happy Hookers, the band I waited my whole fucking life to hear! They're the fucking BEST. I wouldn't listen to it this morning because we listened to it for 3 days straight and I don't want to wear in my neural pathways, so I can keep being excited about it. We listened to free Atlas Sound downloads instead! Holy fuck! I love that man!<br /><br>I slept on the couch for the last hour or so this morning because my snoring was keeping Kaden awake. Our couch is not a couch. It is a 52" loveseat. It was not a good place to sleep, but it was great because I never got back into deep sleep and then I was ready to hop up when the time came! And then we aggressively rode bikes on empty streets and it was so awesome! And I didn't have coffee but I drank a couple sips of Kaden's and it was Stumptown and it was all nutty and bitchin! Plus one of the dudes working was really hot (he had the biggest beard and braids) and Kaden was like "I knew you'd like him" haha.<br /></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span><span style="font-size:85%;">I'll write a post about our awesome vacation someday maybe. It was like the best vacation ever and we drank the best IPAs EVER, but you can't get them anywhere but at this brewpub in Whistler. We ran and walked and ate healthfully our whole vacation. Because we're like that. Only thing we bought besides groceries was I got a $12 geode pendant and I luuuuuuuuv it.<br /></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span><span style="font-size:85%;">It's been sunny this week. It feels like fucking spring/summer finally. Holy shit I hope it stays this way. I'll take a goddamn drought and the hottest summer on the books, ok? SUNBURN!<br /></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span><span style="font-size:85%;">James moved back to town (temporarily?) and is coming over to drink beers tonight. I swept our back porch (concrete slab) and it looks beautiful.<br /><br>ps. I'm 28 now.</span>Liinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06930216949771669664noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4693217896438741307.post-76799180403698471862011-05-06T09:58:00.000-07:002011-05-06T10:58:26.695-07:00April 2011 Expenses.<center><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5307/5693284727_24ec82a65c.jpg" /><br /><span style="font-size:78%;">April 2011 Spending</span></center><p><span style="font-size:85%;">Here is the breakdown of my spending for April. What this chart doesn't show is that I used $368.85 more than my income (including the 33% to savings). That doesn't mean I'm in debt, but I'm still spending from what is leftover in my checking account from before I was regularly adding to my savings.</span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">I still have a lot of gray areas that I'm not sure what to do with. For example, I spent $67 on concert tickets for a show we are going to see in August (damn u ticket master). Does that money belong in this month's expenses, or August's? I am also thinking of integrating several of the 1 and 2% categories. Maybe use "Entertainment" to cover Music, Movies, Concerts, Books. And then perhaps "Personal Care" to cover medical, clothing, classes, home, and recreation (by "recreation" I always mean "the outdoors" which equals "health" to me). Oh and I also just noticed a charge I had in there twice! Wipe $4.66 off that overspent amount! A change I made in the breakdown this month is putting "cash" in for when I get cash from an ATM (except for when I know exactly what I spent it on). I may not always have the receipt for items in this case, and it feels more effective to at least account for that money. Oh man! I also noticed I put double charges in the books area! Knock off another $24.48! This is where I will note that I didn't keep up on my spreadsheet this month and just tried to enter a dozen receipts while checking against my credit card account, and therefore entered some doubles.</span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">Sooooo, how to spend $339 less next month? No expensive concert tickets! No clothes! I bought a pair of everyday use sneakers so that I could preserve my running shoes for running ($25 over existing Zappos credit). I bought a pair of fancy waterproof boots for next winter because they were on a fabulous sale ($49 for Clarks brand). I am very happy with the sneakers, and I know I will be happy with the boots when I want to walk in the rain next winter, to events where motorcycle boots may not be appropriate. And it's worth mentioning that I am also getting rid of 16 other pairs of shoes at this time. I probably still have more shoes than I "need," but I do wear them all with regularity (AND THEY'RE ALL "SENSIBLE"). No books; I can get books at the library. If I take that $171 off, I'm left with $168 over. I spent $135 on a bike this month, that won't be an every month expense! Only $33 over. Now I noticed that I put a $20 donation in April when it really occurred in May. $13! Well that can be remedied by less dining out, easily.</span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">PROBLEMS SOLVED! Can't wait to see how we do in May - with 2 days less income due to a vacation. How cheap can Liina and Kaden take a 4 day vacation for????????? STAY TUNED TO FIND OUT!</span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">ps. I just said "we", but this reflects my expenses only, not Kaden's. We're married but keep our money separate.</span><br /></p>Liinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06930216949771669664noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4693217896438741307.post-73943148565511846982011-05-06T08:12:00.000-07:002011-05-06T10:39:03.461-07:00Avi Buffalo.<span style="font-size:85%;">This morning <a href="http://avibuffalomusic.com/">Avi Buffalo</a> blew my mind all over again.<p>Kaden first heard their Sub Pop single "What's in it for?" on the radio in Seattle last summer. He downloaded it and knew I would love it; he was right. I listened to it over and over, it basically "got me through" last shitty summer.</p><p>They are still mysterious to me. They're probably the first band I've listened to that is younger than me. (no, Screaming Females are). They were in high school when the record was made, and it has this sweetness to it. Not to be patronizing, but, it's nice. It reminds me of when I was 13 and I first heard Hanson; they're the Hanson of indie rock (NOT AN INSULT, I was the world's truest Hanson fan). It's a perfect pop album, with some psychedelic sounds. Sounds that would be better for whip-its than for getting stoned.</p><p>I was saying this morning, the best thing about it is, you hear it and you know they're never going to do anything again. But then I glanced at their website and apparently they are making a new album, so maybe I'm wrong. The girl singer quit the band to pursue a "solo career" and I bet we'll never hear from her again. Like Kelli Dayton. No one ever heard of her again after she quit Sneaker Pimps. No one ever heard of Sneaker Pimps again, either. (<a href="http://www.facebook.com/Pageantsmusic?v=info">I'm so wrong</a>. Who am I to pretend I know what the kids are doing these days? I'm almost 28!)</p><p>Anyway Avi Buffalo's first album is magical, especially "Can't I Know," (aka track 8), which is so dark & warm & mysterious and reminds me of basically everything. You know how it goes.</p><p></p></span>Liinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06930216949771669664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4693217896438741307.post-49036456362694414952011-05-05T12:17:00.000-07:002011-05-06T08:12:17.205-07:00Thanks, Universe!<span style="font-size:85%;">It's definitely time for a <a href="http://galadarling.com/article/things-i-love-thursday-start-each-day-like-its-your-birthday">Things I Love Thursday</a>!!<br /></span><ul><span style="font-size:85%;"></span><li><span style="font-size:85%;">Waking up happy to get up instead of wanting to stay in bed!<br /></span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">Being motivated to jog in the rain.<br /></span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">Taking a new route jogging, all around the wonderful neighborhood.<br /></span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">Living in a town where it's socially acceptable to turn your front lawn entirely into raised beds and start your own CSA!!!<br /></span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">The boss taking a vacation!<br /></span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">Planning nothing but free relaxation for our upcoming vacation. We're staying at Kaden's brother's condo in Whistler for free, and instead of trying to "do" everything, we're only going to go to the Museum of Anthropology in Vancouver and then STAY IN ONE PLACE AND CHILL. For like 3 days. For my birthday! A week from now!<br /></span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">Bike riding.<br /></span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">Deciding to make muffins at home instead of going out for coffee on Saturday, like we have for the past several weekends.<br /></span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">Deciding to take a break from desperate frantic reading of decluttering books!<br /></span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">Deciding to take a break from like everything, including my boring old jogging route!<br /></span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">Plans for a date with Kaden at The Oyster House tomorrow nite, after I sell hundreds of dollars (exaggeration!) of Miller High Life Memorabilia to someone from Craigslist!</span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Goo</span> & <span style="font-style: italic;">Surfer Rosa</span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">The <a href="http://community.apartmenttherapy.com/contests/smallcool/2011/entries">Small Cool 2011</a> contest's "Teeny Tiny" entries. SO INSPIRATIONAL! I want to move somewhere tinier right away!<br /></span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">Sacred discontent that guides you to new things.<br /></span></li></ul><center><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5225/5662207248_366a6ca0a0_m.jpg" /><br /><span style="font-size:78%;">ps. Fifteen days shy of Twenty-Eight Years of Age.</span></center>Liinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06930216949771669664noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4693217896438741307.post-36229461543675463182011-05-04T08:13:00.000-07:002011-05-04T08:15:52.718-07:00A note on clothing.<span style="font-size:85%;">I am down to 34 items hanging in my closet! When I had "fully decluttered" my closet, and purchased my wooden hangers as a "reward" (at the end of January), I had 48 items hanging in my closet. Due to the number of hangers per package, I got only 45, assuming that I'd be better off getting rid of 3 more items than having 3 empty hangers. Without even knowing it, I've eliminated 14 pieces of clothing from my closet since then! Several pieces (3 cardigans and one blouse) went out last week, when I decided to quit trying to force myself to wear them equally to the pieces I prefer.<br /><br />I was really excited about it and bragging to my husband. He said he doesn't have to count, he just gets rid of whatever feels right. For me it feels right to count, it's how I'm measuring my progress. <br /><br />Last night, while preparing to fold laundry, I spilled a glass of water between our bedroom dresser and a file cabinet. I didn't want the water to stay stuck under there, so I had to take all the drawers out of the dresser and move it. It was a great opportunity to clean out the dust bunnies from under there! But it was also a great thrill to see extra space in each one of the drawers. We are no longer just jamming as many clothes as we can squeeze in there. It's a depression-era waterfall dresser, in rather poor shape, and my dad has re-enforced the structure of every drawer because they kept falling apart. If we had decluttered sooner, we could have saved Dad some work! They probably wouldn't have broken if we hadn't tried to stuff so much in there!<br /><br />I can't wait to continue reducing my wardrobe. I have 6 dresses and 7 skirts remaining, and whatever I haven't worn by the end of the summer is OUTTA THERE. I eliminated my one black dress (which I have worn once), since I realized I was literally <i>only</i> keeping it around "in case I have to go to a funeral"!!!! I have only been to 2 funerals in my life! I'll find something else nice to wear if the situation arises. I <i>would</i> like to have the perfect "Little Black Dress", and I'm thinking of going towards one of those fabulous, moisture wicking, wrinkle-free styles from an outdoor-wear company. My main problem is I am short (5'3"), so dresses rarely fall at the "right" place on my legs. But heck, who says there is a "right" place for a dress hem, anyway!<br /></span>Liinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06930216949771669664noreply@blogger.com3