We had a 'great' idea to move. Now that our house is almost ready to go on the market we are packing like mad. Everything is going into boxes to depersonalize the house. Which means we cannot find anything.
Including the big bin of all the knitting projects I did last winter, spring and, summer for craft shows this fall. All the stuff I got ready is now missing. Its lost. Totally.
We started unpacking the pod in the driveway. I even climbed up on top of all the boxes with a flashlight to see if I could the missing bin. My only hope is that we get a new house and move in so we unpack and I can find it. Otherwise, I have to start knitting like mad to make more stuff to sell.
I have been looking at pictures of houses for sale on line and look how empty they are. I have no idea how we are going to do that. I have friends who are coming over to help pack. Including one friend who has weeded and mulched all the gardens. I only got hurt once so far, when I fell over the bags of mulch yesterday. I have a booboo on my elbow from landing on the cement patio but do not feel any other damage (which is a good thing because I can't deal with any more issues right now).
But really, what were we thinking? Moving sucks.
Jul 10, 2018
Jul 9, 2018
World Arthritis Day
I missed it. It was yesterday, October 12. Obviously it must have been hidden behind a cloud of pinkification.
Let me be clear I didn't even know there was a World Arthritis Day. And according to their website, there were only four events in the US and six in North America. The rest were in Europe and Middle East.
I think if there was one giant calendar of all the awareness days/months, it would probably contain a million event. The problem with these 'awareness' events is that there are just so many. Do we really even need them?
I like the idea behind them - to raise the awareness for an illness or ailment. And to help fund research for better treatment options or cures. But when every day is a different awareness day they become to blur together and lose their emphasis.
With my list of ailments and interests, I have too many to choose from and pretty much ignore them all. I do voluntarily attend specific events which focus on fundraising or awareness for different ailments but do not choose to make a big deal out of any one.
This is a case where less is more. If there were many fewer, I would probably be able to find a couple that fit my interests.
Let me be clear I didn't even know there was a World Arthritis Day. And according to their website, there were only four events in the US and six in North America. The rest were in Europe and Middle East.
I think if there was one giant calendar of all the awareness days/months, it would probably contain a million event. The problem with these 'awareness' events is that there are just so many. Do we really even need them?
I like the idea behind them - to raise the awareness for an illness or ailment. And to help fund research for better treatment options or cures. But when every day is a different awareness day they become to blur together and lose their emphasis.
With my list of ailments and interests, I have too many to choose from and pretty much ignore them all. I do voluntarily attend specific events which focus on fundraising or awareness for different ailments but do not choose to make a big deal out of any one.
This is a case where less is more. If there were many fewer, I would probably be able to find a couple that fit my interests.
Jul 2, 2018
Oh, the poor man!
As I have said before, this is not a political blog. But I do occasionally blog about political issues. Martin Shkreli, the idiot man who raised the price of a medication 4000%, is upset with Bernie Sanders. He donated $2700 to Bernie's campaign and hoped to get a meeting with Bernie to explain why drug manufacturers set their prices.
"Shkreli made the contribution, he said, partly because he supports some of Sanders’ proposals — just not the ones about drug prices. But mainly, he said, he donated to get the senator’s attention in the hopes that he could get a private meeting to explain why drug companies set prices the way they do."
Bernie gave away his money and won't meet with him. Martin isn't happy.
"Shkreli is “furious” that Sanders is using him as a punching bag without giving him a chance to give his side. “I think it’s cheap to use one person’s action as a platform without kind of talking to that person,” Shkreli said in the interview. “He’ll take my money, but he won’t engage with me for five minutes to understand this issue better.”"
Personally, I think I catch a hint of whininess here.... I'm with Bernie on this. I don't think I would take a donation from Martin either. I think Martin should start trying to explain to the rest of us about his pricing justification instead of just waiting for a call from Bernie.
"Shkreli made the contribution, he said, partly because he supports some of Sanders’ proposals — just not the ones about drug prices. But mainly, he said, he donated to get the senator’s attention in the hopes that he could get a private meeting to explain why drug companies set prices the way they do."
Bernie gave away his money and won't meet with him. Martin isn't happy.
"Shkreli is “furious” that Sanders is using him as a punching bag without giving him a chance to give his side. “I think it’s cheap to use one person’s action as a platform without kind of talking to that person,” Shkreli said in the interview. “He’ll take my money, but he won’t engage with me for five minutes to understand this issue better.”"
Personally, I think I catch a hint of whininess here.... I'm with Bernie on this. I don't think I would take a donation from Martin either. I think Martin should start trying to explain to the rest of us about his pricing justification instead of just waiting for a call from Bernie.
Jun 19, 2018
Good intentions gone bad.
The heights of stupidity are being reached for pinktober.
Let me count the ways. First of all, an NFL player who lost his mother and four aunts to breast cancer is being fined for having the words 'Find A Cure' and a pink ribbon on his eye black (those are the stupid little black rectangles of paint under their eyes, in case you didn't know - like me). He has had these for the past five seasons and now it is a problem for the NFL, which covers itself in pink each year. So they fined him $5775. Really? Everything else can be pink but he can't express himself?
Talk about a double standard - the league can be pink but he can't show his support. I wouldn't have a problem if the NFL didn't go pink every year.
What about 'Knitted Knockers'? Yep, a bunch of knitters in South Carolina create them for breast cancer patients to wear after surgery. These foobs are made out of soft yarn and stuffed with cotton to wear after mastectomies against the skin.
So what if they are the wrong size? Its a nice idea on some level but on most levels its just wrong. Especially the name.
Finally, pink beer. Yep, a brilliant bar has decided to serve pink Michelob Ultra to raise awareness for breast cancer. It is not clear if any extra money is being raised through this. So do the drinkers of pink beer think their purchases help raise funds for anything related to breast cancer? I think we have trained people to think if something is specially labeled or colored its purchase is helping the cause, not just awareness.
Good intentions gone bad.
Let me count the ways. First of all, an NFL player who lost his mother and four aunts to breast cancer is being fined for having the words 'Find A Cure' and a pink ribbon on his eye black (those are the stupid little black rectangles of paint under their eyes, in case you didn't know - like me). He has had these for the past five seasons and now it is a problem for the NFL, which covers itself in pink each year. So they fined him $5775. Really? Everything else can be pink but he can't express himself?
Talk about a double standard - the league can be pink but he can't show his support. I wouldn't have a problem if the NFL didn't go pink every year.
What about 'Knitted Knockers'? Yep, a bunch of knitters in South Carolina create them for breast cancer patients to wear after surgery. These foobs are made out of soft yarn and stuffed with cotton to wear after mastectomies against the skin.
So what if they are the wrong size? Its a nice idea on some level but on most levels its just wrong. Especially the name.
Finally, pink beer. Yep, a brilliant bar has decided to serve pink Michelob Ultra to raise awareness for breast cancer. It is not clear if any extra money is being raised through this. So do the drinkers of pink beer think their purchases help raise funds for anything related to breast cancer? I think we have trained people to think if something is specially labeled or colored its purchase is helping the cause, not just awareness.
Good intentions gone bad.
Jun 18, 2018
Am I making a bad decision?
Today is my last day of work. Well, I will continue to work one day a week from home and go to the office once a month until my replacement is found. And I will go into the office to help train him/her for a few days.
The reason I am leaving work is my health is not that great, in case you hadn't noticed. Even though I have cut way back on my schedule, I still am fighting fatigue and aches and pains. One goal in moving is to cut way back on expenses so my non-existent income will not be noticed.
Three years ago, in the fall of 2012, I was diagnosed with both rheumatoid arthritis and fibromyalgia. (Actually it was exactly three years ago tomorrow that I announced this.) At that point I was working two jobs and a total of about 30-35 hours each week.
In early 2013, I resigned from my other job because I could not physically keep up the pace of working so much. It also required nights and weekends. In 2014 I started working fewer and fewer hours in my current job. Now I am down to about 8 hours each week, and I can barely keep up.
With the decision to move and reduce our expenses, it became much easier for me to decide to stop working. I am looking forward to having more time to take care of me.
During the next few months, I will have plenty to do with moving and the holidays and craft shows. Once we settle into a new house, I have no plans on staying home all the time. I would like to find some volunteer work to ensure I get out of the house and don't go stir crazy - but that would be fewer hours with more flexibility. I also plan to continue to go to the gym three times a week. My sanity is important.
But I must return to my original question of am I making a decision? I guess it would be a bad one if I was only thinking financially. But I do not have that luxury any longer.
The reason I am leaving work is my health is not that great, in case you hadn't noticed. Even though I have cut way back on my schedule, I still am fighting fatigue and aches and pains. One goal in moving is to cut way back on expenses so my non-existent income will not be noticed.
Three years ago, in the fall of 2012, I was diagnosed with both rheumatoid arthritis and fibromyalgia. (Actually it was exactly three years ago tomorrow that I announced this.) At that point I was working two jobs and a total of about 30-35 hours each week.
In early 2013, I resigned from my other job because I could not physically keep up the pace of working so much. It also required nights and weekends. In 2014 I started working fewer and fewer hours in my current job. Now I am down to about 8 hours each week, and I can barely keep up.
With the decision to move and reduce our expenses, it became much easier for me to decide to stop working. I am looking forward to having more time to take care of me.
During the next few months, I will have plenty to do with moving and the holidays and craft shows. Once we settle into a new house, I have no plans on staying home all the time. I would like to find some volunteer work to ensure I get out of the house and don't go stir crazy - but that would be fewer hours with more flexibility. I also plan to continue to go to the gym three times a week. My sanity is important.
But I must return to my original question of am I making a decision? I guess it would be a bad one if I was only thinking financially. But I do not have that luxury any longer.