Hello, Dolly!

Well, if you were ever curious about what a tropical storm looks like, here you go! This is actually the tail end of Dolly, filmed in Mexico as the center of the storm mutated into a category 2 hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico and headed towards Texas.

On slickness, for Jenna

So, I'm on the phone with Jenna during my lunch hour, hanging out in my office. I'm kicked back in my chair. Maxing. Relaxing, even. During this upward tilt, I notice that the recessed portion of the ceiling is COVERED in spider webs. And not just spider webs, but DUSTY spider webs. Eww.

In my efforts to continually improve upon my own genius, I imagine the ways in which I can undo those dusty spider webs, despite the 14 foot ceiling in my office. Necessity is the mother of invention, and aha! I have a yard stick! It's not long enough, but ahoy! I have an umbrella. So I affix with transparent tape the last six inches of the yard stick to the pointed end of the umbrella. A little wobbly, but it will work. It even has a handle! To the other end of the yard stick (the ceiling end) I ball up a deliciously wasteful ball of transparent tape and begin to swing wildly at the dusty jungle vines hanging from above. Whoops! I surge forward and *stick* goes the ball, crusty in its gray furry coating, and now securely lodged fourteen feet above me, spider web tentacles hanging.

Crap. What do I do with a wobbly reacher stick thing that's almost falling apart and a ball of tape high above my head. Could this ball stuck to the ceiling really bother me less than if I had just left the frakking thing alone to begin with?!

But aha! I super-double affix yet another tape ball to the end, reinforce the six inch connector portion between the umbrella and the yard stick with masking tape, and with some good work and a little leverage, I remove the whole entire thing from its ceiling perch.

Now, that's slick, folks.

Self-Tagged!

Based on this post over at A Crunchy Life (thanks, Jenna, for the link!), I am completing the list of my own. What would your list look like?

What was I doing ten years ago?

• I had just finished my sophomore year of college.
• I was starting a teaching position with Summerbridge in Portland.
• My new found freedom in Portland and separation from what had been five solid years of boyfriendedness/relationships allowed me to learn a million important things about myself, what I needed and wanted, and how to be alone and happy.
• I was gearing up for my junior year of college, questioning my sexuality and learning how to knit better.
• I treasured what I knew were the last good days with my grandmother, even though our visits were infrequent.
• Mostly I was broke and without major worries, and I felt optimistic.
• I was working on building an adult relationship with my parents, but mostly with my mother. It would be many years before we were good communicators with each other.
  

Five Things on My To-Do List:

• Stick to a budget.
• Get through the first-time homebuying madness without dying.
• Enjoy myself on vacation, for it may be the last for some time!
• Spend more time with family and friends once the house situation settles down, and during what I hope is more free time now that grad school is over. (I didn't expect to replace that time obligation quite so quickly with endless house maintenance and improvements!)
• Craft more, especially in memory of my grandmother, who would want that. This would including canning, like making jam, butter pickles and pears in syrup.
  

Snacks I Enjoy:

• bananas with cheddar cheese
• edamame
• granola bars
• juice
• chocolate chip cookies
• any fruit
• baby carrots
• pudding!
  

If I were a billionaire:

• Like Crunchy Life, I'd pay off all debt for my family and friends.
• I'd make all of the Wish List changes to our new house, including a vaulted ceiling on the 2nd floor with skylights and other delicious features that probably would include some kind of extension or addition to what is already there.
• I'd take my family on vacation for a month so we could spend time together.
• I'd buy a hybrid vehicle.
• I would still try to have "my own" children, but also plan to adopt or foster kids who need a loving family.
• I'd quit my job and go back to school, either for my MBA, or a degree in nursing or my EdD.
• I'd begin a research and scholarship foundation to support students from underserved Asian American student populations that would support improving their local public high school and also provide scholarships for college.
• I'd make a craft/sewing room in my house, and fill it with crafty goodness and craft. And teach my kids to craft. And craft things for other people...

...this part of the list could go on and on...

What's on your list?

May I just say?

I am so tired of cleaning up pee off of the toilets seats at work. Now, I am not the youngest person who works in this building, but I am also certainly not the oldest. In fact, I fall well below the average age in this building, so if I've learned to control the flow of my urine and/or clean up after myself, why haven't YOU?

Just sayin'.