Bienvenue!

Welcome to my blog about my journey through this book and it's challenges. It's a simple exercise, but it's good for me. I hope you enjoy the blips and slips and funny moments. You may even learn a thing or two too!



Friday, July 15, 2011

Week 28--Friday Afternoon

"Reuse as a State of Mind." 

Use #101 for a regular rubber band:  waist extender.  This (photo below) is what happens when they make jean waists that fit when you stand, but cut you in half when you sit.  I have to thank my Mom for this remedy; it is such a versatile remedy because you can single or double loop the rubber band depending on how much lunch you ate :)

Monday, July 11, 2011

Week 28--Monday Afternoon

There is no option but to drink cold beer; below is the wording from the weather channel for our city.  Notice the highlighted portions...Whoa! is all I have to say about going outside today.  I've changed into home clothes and started on my second beer.  The only way this can get any better is to finish off the evening with ice cream--mint chocolate chip to be specific ;)

I used my "re-usable" lunch bag today--zebra striped with pink handles and plan to recycle those beer cans.  I'm not sure the paper coffee cup will last all week.  It looks might sad already...I'll post a pic mid-week and we'll see how she fairs...stay cool!

FairTonightTomorrowTomorrow Night
Isolated T-StormsIsolated T-StormsIsolated T-Storms
Fair Dangerous heat index. Outdoor exposure should be limited. Isolated T-StormsIsolated T-StormsIsolated T-Storms
94°F76°91°67°
Feels Like: 112° LowHighLow
Past 24-hr:
Precip: 0 in
Snow: 0 in
Chance of Rain:
30%
Chance of Rain:
30%
Chance of Rain:
30%
Wind:
From SSW at 9mph
Wind:
W at 11 mph
Wind:
NNW at 10 mph
Wind:
N at 8 mph
Through 11pm: Partly cloudy with temperatures slowly falling to near 82F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph.

Sunday, July 10, 2011

Week 28--"Reuse as a State of Mind"--Sunday Afternoon

Reuse as a State of Mind:  "Pretend that nothing you use can be thrown away.  What are all the alternative uses you can think of for what you formerly, casually considered 'garbage'?  All plastic containers can be reused; plastic bags can be washed and reused; wide-neck jars can be used to store food; wrapping paper can be reused.  And what things can you set aside to be used for kids' projects? (Even if you don't have kids, preschools might need 400 yogurt containers).  Get used to reuse.

Honestly, I think I do this pretty well; spending my childhood with seven siblings in a small house and learning to be "creative" with resources has prepared me to reuse and find new uses for many things.  However, I'm sure I can do better.  To start this week off, I will reuse my morning coffee cup.  A good friend of mine owns an espresso machine and has her own supply of paper coffee cups.  When I visit her, she gives me an espresso "for the road."  The cups are sturdy and I hate to throw them away.  So, I will keep this one clean after each use and reuse for the morning drive.  Let's see if it can withstand two-three morning cups of "Hot Joe" for a week...

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Week 27--Tuesday Afternoon

I admit, I don't feel like I can do much about this week's task to Make an Ideal World.  It's far too overwhelming for me to think about.   Ideal may be in the eye of the beholder.  What I find ideal in my world may conflict with what a Russian spy finds to be an ideal world.  A politician will certainly describe an ideal world differently than a miner or advertising agent, don't you think?  Or, do you think that when it really comes down to the heart of the matter, most people want to live in the same conditions?  If so, what are those conditions? Peace?  Prosperity?  Perhaps we should ask Sir Thomas More what his ideal society looks like...

Sunday, July 3, 2011

Week 27--"Make an Ideal World"

Make an Ideal World:  "What does an ideal world look like to you?  Make a list of all the things you would want in such a world.  Take a look at your list and pick one items that is particularly compelling.  What could you do now to make that one ideal aspect one step closer to reality?  Are there any non-profits that are already working toward that ideal?  See what you can do alone, or , better yet, with others to work toward actualizing that ideal."

I can look at this week's task a couple ways:  One, I can list ideals for the entire world and humankind in general.  Or, I could list characteristics of an ideal world--within my sphere.  Let's try a bit of both for today.

What does my ideal (for all mankind) world look like?
  • Clean drinking water for everyone
  • Elimination of hunger
  • Elimination of evil
  • Elimination of disease
What does my ideal (my sphere) world look like?
  • Retirement spent doing what I love
  • Extra tall cabinets and sinks
  • A huge kitchen
  • Sunny days
  • Waking to the sound of the tide
  • Pain free body

Saturday, July 2, 2011

Week 26--Share Humor--Saturday Morning

This is the 90th post!  Whoa, I didn't think I'd get here back in the bitter cold of January.  However, the day is young and much to do so I'll tell this week's final humorous story for your reading pleasure.

Sometime while dating my husband, we visited his parents for the weekend.  They lived at the time in an older home they had refurbished.  I really liked the bathroom because it had high ceilings, built-in wall cabinets and intricate tiled floors.  His mom is from the South, and decorates with lots of floral motifs.  The bathroom at this time had white walls, greenish painted cabinets and a tub decorated with a double shower curtain.  It was a montage of pink, red, green and white flowers.  Personally, it wasn't my style but to each her own.  The shower curtain had a valence as well--so it was essentially a curtain across a shower and tub, and a heavy curtain at that.

We had a pretty full day and plans for the evening.  It was my turn to clean up. So I'm in the shower and I realize the water is super soft.  I grew up in southeastern Indiana with hard water--soap never lathered.  It more or less slid on and water rinsed it off.  I'm standing under the water, with child-like amazement that the water is so soft.  So soft, in fact, that the blasted bar of soap is slipping all over the place and out of my hands.  I go to retrieve the bar of soap; as I stand up, I lose my balance slightly and with such a slippery tub floor (and no mat--bad decision in hindsight) I start to sway.  And there, in my in-laws-to-be bathroom, reached the tipping point and fell--backwards--out of the tub. 

Loosing my footing and balance (thanks due to zero friction) I fall backwards over the tub.  In a blaze of fury and desperate last-minute hope, I reach for the shower curtain and pull the entire ensemble down around me. I landed on the cold tile floor, swaddled in the hideous floral curtain.  Thank the Lord I missed the sink with my head, but only narrowly.  My horror would have been ten times worse had I hit my head, passed out and  been at the mercy of the local fire department finding me unconscious on the floor--wet and naked.  What a story they would have had!!  I'm sure had I been observed,  it would have been like watching a train wreck.  It happened so quickly; one minute I'm deep in thought of the water's softness, the next minute I am on the floor, naked as the day I was born, on my back, half covered in slippy soap and tangled in the floral shower curtain from hell.

I had never felt so ambushed, so silly, so embarrassed and so child-like in my life.  It was completely out of my control.  I come to my senses after the crashing of both me and the shower curtain ensemble and the water is still running. Within five seconds I hear my husband's mom at the door, "Honey, are you all right?"  Then five seconds later, hysterical laughter is heard as I tell her, still lying on the floor and through the door what happened.  She laughs to this day about that incident.  My husband-to-be was more sensitive and truly concerned, but had a rueful smile about his mouth the whole time.  I refused to let anyone in to assist me.  I even left the water running, put back the shower curtain and finished my shower...pride and bum slightly wounded.

Imagine falling out of this tub with this shower curtain raining down upon you...except this has doors and a green curtain, but use your imagination...:)

Friday, July 1, 2011

Week 26--Share Humor--Friday Night

I'm sorry to say I didn't have much humor to share from the last two days, though the beginning of the week was full of funny moments.  Since I have no humorous stories to share, I'll share an observation.

Why, when most human beings are in a hurry, do people at the grocery store, (leaving the store) have to walk slowly back to their cars and take the longest route possible?  I don't get it.  If you walk out at a 90 degree angle from the door entrance, across the main thoroughfare to the lot, it's quick and efficient--and--you're less likely to be road kill or someone's winning points in the game of hit and run. 

Why, oh why, then, do most of the people (at least the ones at our nearest Kroger) lolligag around and take their sweet time to make a line as oblique as possible and take as long as possible to walk back to their cars?  Yes, the shortest distance between two points is a straight line.  However, if you walk most of that line in the middle of the road, it's not safe.  Doesn't the possibility of being hit by oncoming traffic bother them?  Apparently not. They might as well be this guy...

Photo courtesy of a fellow blogger: Nuggets of Gold