Friday, July 30, 2010

I would like a sewing machine…and to learn how to sew

I’m all about the handmade craze that’s taking over the country! And I always find fun projects that I would like to do, but I have to cross a lot of them off the would-like-to-do list because I don’t have a sewing machine and I don’t know how to sew. It makes me sad. On top of that, I’m forever hemming pants by hand (which takes hours because I’m really slow and get distracted easily), stitching up dog toys in the hopes of preserving their lives, fixing seams, etc. and I think all of that would be a lot easier — and look a lot better — if I had a sewing machine and knew how to sew. I know what I want for Christmas!

This leads to another thought I’ve been having (for probably almost a decade): very few people have handmade pieces to pass along to family and friends. Handmade goods were a dying art form and I’m beyond thrilled that they’re making a comeback! Now I just need to learn a few more crafty skills and become part of that comeback! I have a quilt that my Dad’s mom made and I use it on my bed every winter. My mom made me a flower girl dress, first communion dress, Easter dresses, parachute pants (thankfully I’ve out grown that phase of my life), Halloween costumes, dolls, etc. Yet somehow I managed to be sewing/knitting/crocheting/quilting challenged. As noted previously, I did have a little foray into knitting, but it stalled. And I was making jewelry for a while, but then I got a job — such is life.

I need to work on not getting overwhelmed by all the things I want to do! I don’t even have a sewing machine and I already have a list of projects (sewing and non-sewing) that I want to accomplish. I need to formulate a plan.

Step 1. Get a sewing machine (or at least start saving up for one)!

I’m now accepting donations. :)

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Hi-ho, hi-ho, it's back to Honda I go

Honda hooked me up with AC on Monday. Fabulous. Honda also hooked me up with some strange buzzing sound. A buzzing that only happens when the AC is on. Hmm. AC-related? Affirmative. I waited until today to take it in just to make sure I wasn't imaging things. I tend to have an active imagination when I have work done on my car. My thought process goes something like this: my car has work done, so someone could have screwed up and the whole thing might fall apart while driving down the highway. Paranoid? Yeah, you could say that. I think it stems from the time when my Dad put air in my tires in high school and I some how ended up with a flat tire. He thought it was funny. I didn't and now I need counseling. So anyway, I took a field trip back to Honda after work. Thank goodness it was only something called a "hard line" that they could move around a little bit (their explanation, not mine) and it would stop singing to me. Whew. Car-less crisis averted.

Watch me!

Roll the windows down, turn the radio up...

...but only if you want to know what it felt like to be me for the past three weeks.

The AC in my sensational little 2004 Honda CR-V went out a few weeks ago. Yes, a few WEEKS ago. You know, during the hottest part of summer, during record heat, during my planned (and then canceled due to driving south with the pup and lack of AC) week-and-a-half-long vacation to North Carolina and Virginia - DURING A TIME I WASN'T SUPPOSED TO BE AT WORK - you get the point. But today was the day of reckoning, not really, but now I have AC and I'm officially broke and I can now go on vacation...without money! PARTAAAAAAY!

All I have to say is THANK THE STARS FOR LITTLE LUXURIES! Seriously. I thought "Oh hey, no AC? Eh, I'll survive a couple weeks without it while Honda works out the details." Oh boy, was I wrong. The morning drives to work weren't too terrible...except for when it was so hot that I had to lean toward the steering wheel in order to not get a gigantic sweat stain on my back. I'm sure I looked pretty strange, but if I didn't have sweat stains on my back at 7:30 a.m. then it accomplished my goal! The drive home was another story. I walk five blocks to me car, which is parked outside in a gravel lot and I'm sweating by the time I get there, so it's already a lost cause. There was no "trying to avoid sweat stains" on the way home, I just embraced the disgusting, dripping hottness. When I got home, before I even took the pup out, I peeled off my clothes and put on shorts and a t-shirt. Let me give you a visual. Picture someone running 10 miles in 90 degree, sunny weather. Now picture that same person running, but wearing business casual attire. Ick. That's how I felt for THREE WEEKS! The worst part was when it rained and was humind. I won't go into detail, but lets just say I had my own personal detox system on wheels. I know you're jealous!

Anyway, Honda took three weeks to figure everything out because apparently my cute little car has a "known problem" with the AC. Note: This is not a recall, JUST a "known problem." My off the cuff definition of "known problem" is: A common problem we know about, but not anything that will put your life in danger...thus, we don't feel it necessary to tell you about it unless something happens...like your air compressor freezing, exploding and sending pieces of mental throughout your cooling system. Aww. How sweet. But the upside to the "known problem" is that Honda paid for half of it. I'm sure it didn't hurt that my neighbor works in the parts department and always gets me a good deal. And the weeks I had to wait to get it fixed? Yeah, that was so Honda could talk to their local rep. who just happened to be on vacation for two weeks (oh vacation...I was supposed to have a vacation...). But I can't complain. I always get great service. I dropped my car off Sunday night and it was ready by 4:30 Monday afternoon.

And my awesome friend Sergio kindly drove me to and from work, took me to pick up a few things at the grocery store after work and then took a detour to Honda when I got the call that my car was ready and we were almost at my house. I'm sure he only had the urge to push me out of the car when I asked him to stop at the grocery store. Yay for great friends!

Lizzy vs. Yarn

Yarn 1, Lizzy 0

I was cleaning out some of my craft supplies and I had a couple balls of yarn from back in the day when I was teaching myself to knit. And by "back in the day" I mean about six or seven years ago. It didn't go well. I still have a scarf "in progress". Let's just say that it's not going to be completed any time soon. Anyway, I had a ball of yarn sitting on a chair and the next thing I know that same ball of yarn is streaking across the living room. Lizzy was having so much fun I decided to let her bask in her thievery.

Lizzy 1, Yarn 1
It ended in a tie!

Deck Chair

The Peanuts cartoons starts with Lucy at her five-cent psychology booth, where Charlie Brown has stopped for advice about life.

"Life is like a deck chair, Charlie," she says. "On the cruise ship of life, some people place their deck chair at the rear of the ship so they can see where they've been. Others place their deck chair at the front of the ship so they can see where they're going."

The good "doctor" looks at her puzzled client and asks, "Which way is your deck chair facing?"

Without hesitating, Charlie replies glumly, "I can't even get my deck chair unfolded."

Charlie and I are soul mates. - Messy Spirituality by Michael Yaconelli

Instructions for Life from the Dalai Lama (supposedly) 2008

I think these are all pretty fabulous, but my favorites are in bold.
  • Take into account that great love and great achievements involve great risk.
  • When you lose, don't lose the lesson.
  • Follow the three R's: Respect for self. Respect for others. Responsibility for all of your actions.
  • Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck.
  • Learn the rules so you know how to break them properly.
  • Don't let a little dispute injure a great friendship.
  • When you realize you've made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.
  • Spend some time alone every day.
  • Open your arms to change, but don't let go of your values.
  • Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.
  • Live a good, honorable life. Then when you get older and think back, you'll be able to enjoy it a second time.
  • A loving atmosphere in your home is the foundation for your life.
  • In disagreements with loved ones, deal only with the current situation. Don't bring up the past.
  • Share your knowledge. It's a way to achieve immortality.
  • Be gentle with the earth.
  • Once a year, go someplace you've never been before.
  • Remember that the best relationship is one in which your love for each other exceeds your need for each other.
  • Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it.
  • Approach love and cooking with reckless abandon.