Sanctuary

One of my projects for the summer was to continue de-cluttering my domicile.  Tonight I rearranged my loft/study/new sanctuary into this magical, blissful respite from the universe.  I'm SO EXCITED.  I cleared off the bookcases, cleaned, dusted, vacuumed, rearranged the furniture, and washed the windows.

Then I classed the place up...brought up my ipod dock and a few plants.  Some new pillows for the loveseat and a throw.  New candles.  This room is my new favorite.  I'm seeing some writing happening here, some journaling, maybe some yoga sequencing ('cause yep, there's space for a mat in the middle of the room!)....in short,  a place for me to bliss out.

And yeah, I put a blanket down for Gatsby too, of course.  Gotta have my fur-friend near me even when I'm getting away from it all.

Where is your getaway spot when you can't really get away?

The Spring Sigh

Spring break has FINALLY arrived.  I truly wasn't sure I'd make it to this one.  The kids have been acting like it's May, the rooms are a hundred degrees (or below zero), and my skin wants to get its tan on.  All good things normally, except when you consider that it's actually March.  But all of that is behind me now, because for the next nine days, I am, to a degree, free.

So, with that, I present to you: the Spring Break 2012 List of Things to Accomplish:

1.  Get all grading done.  Preferably on the earlier end of the break...but based on past precedent I'll be scrambling at midnight on Sunday night (April 8th) trying to get a foot high pile of grading done in an hour and grumbling that if I had just broken the pile down into 9 smaller piles, I could have taken a manageable bite each day.

2.  Spring cleaning!  Swabbing down the house, for reals.  The dog goes to doggy day camp and I vacuum until I can't vacuum anymore.

3.  Tackle the garage.  This is a new one this year.  My garage barely has room for my car.  I need to go through clothes, furniture, random crap, and clean the place out.

4.  Yoga.  Teaching, practicing, sculpting...I gotta do it all.

5.  Reading and Viewing.  I have 3 books (Hunger Games, Echolocation, and 1963) that need finishing.  I also have 3 movies that need watching. It's pretty pathetic when I'm even behind on my leisure.

6. Try a few new recipes.  My blender is feeling neglected.....I've thrown her over for black bean quinoa burgers, pasta, oatmeal and soup.  We need to spend some quality time rebonding.

That's it.  That's enough, right?  Again, past precedent says I'll only accomplish about 20% of this list, but you can rest assured I'll get a lot of napping in.

Lazy Sunday

All I want to do today is lay around.  All I've done for the last hour since I've been home from yoga is lay around.  I am very comfortable, and I'd like to not move until tomorrow morning when it's time to go to work.

Unfortunately, that's not how life is going to go for me today.

My current status:
House: disaster
Grading: hopelessly behind

It's nice outside.  I want to be out there.  But, by the time I fix my current status, it will no longer be nice out.  In fact, by the time I get caught up on all my grading, the snow could well be flying again.

Oh well.  Fortunately Sundays are often lazy days for me, so I can afford to work quite a bit today and give up just ONE Sunday.  But, if anyone wants to take some of this grading off my hands, I'd be much obliged :-)

Trying to meld new and old

So, this last week has been one of trying to acclimate my new self back into my old self's life. I guess it's inaccurate to say "new" and "old." Rather, the "new" me is a pared down, simplified version of the "old" me. I'm more calm, less negative, simplified, more on pace.

My house, on the other hand, is busy, cluttered, and full. Exactly how I used to be--so not how I am now. I've been trying to think of ways to declutter the place. Short of burning it all down and starting from scratch, I'm not coming up with anything.

Part of the problem is that I still have a lot of attachments to things--to my stuff, of course, but also to the feeling that I will, someday, miss my stuff.

I want to live my yogic life...a life of clean, cleansed, calm order. I know it'll take time, and I've already gotten started. But, I also really kinda want it right now. Because I'm not completely new.

Cleaning up the Hermitage (and the longest story about tampons I've ever told)

I'm having company today. I think. It's still somewhat up-in-the-air, as these things often are. But, last night and today I've been cleaning my house. It occurred to me while I was scrubbing my toilet on my hands and knees (don't all profound thoughts happen around this time?) that the last time anyone was in my house except for my parents was back in August at the Social Reincarnation Soiree. That was a bit over five months ago.

The thought first came to mind last night when I was reorganizing the bathroom off of my bedroom. I just got a nifty cabinet from my parents because they're redoing their bathroom, so I was filling it with standard bathroom fare. I put a container of tampons on one of the shelves and then paused. Should I put them there? Just out in the open for anyone to look at? Then I thought, "who will see them?" I tried to remember the last time anyone but me was in my bathroom. Then I thought about who, since I moved in, had ever been in that bathroom. And I decided to keep them there because anyone who makes it that far into my 'inner sanctum' knows about tampons and probably knows me well enough to not be bothered. At least I hope so.

I kind of wonder why I'm so protective of my space. It isn't that I don't have friends, or that I'm not sociable. I just always end up going over to other people's places or out to restaurants/events. I never invite anyone over, and of course no one is ever "hey, let's go to your place!" Maybe it should be another new year's resolution to open up my house a little bit to the people I'm close to. I have no idea why I'm so afraid to have people over. And not even "people"--just "person." Anyone who doesn't walk on four legs. Very odd. I am a very odd girl.

But, back to cleaning. Because today someone is coming into the hermitage. I think.

Peddling my wares...

It started with a credit card I got when I was 15 to take to France with me for "emergencies." Seventeen years later, I'm in debt. Not frighteningly so, but it's getting pretty close. So, I decided that I needed an intervention. And, the only person who would do that would be me. So, I had a long conversation with myself about where I am now and where I want to be and how I'm going to get there. And I decided that I needed to simplify. I need to simplify my house, my budget, my debt...pretty much my whole existence.

Last week I did clothes. I cut pretty deep, getting rid of some 60 pieces of clothing. I'll probably get the same amount when I do it again for summer clothing. Yeah, it's not hard to see where the debt came from, believe me. Today, I went straight for my own jugular. My bookcases. I'll spare you the gory details. Suffice to say, I removed about 150 books from my stacks.

This is where you come in. I need you to reach into your pockets and buy my books. They make great Christmas gifts, I promise. And I'm not talking crap books, either...there are authors you'll recognize and authors you won't, but I promise you all the books are good. Well, someone likes them. They make bestseller lists and stuff.

Enough talking... here's the link to the ad where my books are listed. The shipping is free. And if you buy more than one I'll probably cut you a pretty good deal. And you can probably write it off on your taxes as a charitable donation, because this girl needs some charity right now. Selling my books off...can you believe it?

Crabby Pants

They're back on. And on they'll stay until June 6th when I'm finally released from the hell employment that manages to crush my hopes and dreams on a daily basis.

Here is what's keeping me from slitting my wrists (metaphorically, of course):

--> An invite to Yoga Molly's kegger this weekend (for which I have expressed such excitement I'm pretty sure Molly thinks I never get invited to parties)

--> A visit from Jessie, also this weekend

--> Memorial Day

--> The fact that after Memorial Day there are only eight days left of school for underclassmen

--> The fact that after Memorial Day there are only six days left of school for seniors

--> I can watch Sweeney Todd whenever I want

--> I can do a shoulder stand in yoga, mostly unassisted (after my initial "dead bug" appearance at which point Molly rescues me)

--> Seinfeld

I think that's it.

Right now, I want to eat Asian noodles and take a nap and read a book. What I need to do is clean the guest bathroom for Jessie.

Not going to waste today!

I have a lot of stuff that I need to get done this weekend. So much so that I think I need a schedule in order to accomplish it all, rather than realize at 10pm tomorrow night that I didn't really accomplish anything.

Here is a quick-and-dirty list of what needs to be done:

1. clean the house
2. walk the dog
3. study for histology lab test
4. finish death/dying project
5. take chapter 3-4 accounting test
6. do chapter 5 accounting work
7. grade CPC Poe essays
8. Run 4 miles
9. do laundry
10. go grocery shopping for next week
11. mail books for bookmooch
12. go to school and print histology slides

Dang. It's worse than I thought. And, I have the feeling I'm forgetting some things. I'm trying really hard to not feel guilty over not going to lab today, the last day the histology slides are available. I can do most of the work online and I know it'll be packed in there today. I've spent about 6 hours in there, I think, for this lab.

Okay, a schedule is definitely in order.

Cleaning out my closet

The Salvation Army just came and hauled away my twenties. I left the decade, and the majority of its symbols, out on my driveway this morning and all that's left now is a slip of paper that says I donated stuff who have been or will someday be in their twenties.

I have to say, I have mixed feelings. On the one hand, I've gone through the stuff several times and I know there's nothing in there that I need (or, frankly, want) and my garage is getting emptier (because it's a two car garage and it's FULL. Crazy.). These are good things. I'm thirty, and its time I got rid of my clothes from high school. So, from that standpoint it's a weight off of my shoulders because I got rid of a tremendous amount of clutter.

On the other hand, I am materialistic. My stuff is important to me, and I measure a lot of who I am by the things that I have. I know this isn't my best feature but a feature it is, nonetheless, and one that I have to deal with. Getting rid of my stuff gives me an icky feeling in my stomach that I got rid of something important. This feeling will pass, I've gotten rid of things before, but right now I plan to spend a few hours feeling oogy.

Ultimately, though, I did the right thing. Of this I have no doubt.