Just Some Thoughts While I Eat my GrapeNuts

I blogged this a couple days ago and forgot to post it.

Why is it called GrapeNuts anyway?

I am thinking about cutting bangs. Do you (meaning the cosmic void that is cyberspace) think this would be a bad move? My problem is, I have had the same hair cycle since, oh 1995. Let it grow out, cut short layers, repeat. Over Christmas, I met up with friends from camp - some I hadn't seen since high school. They all said "You look exactly like I remember you." Which at first, I thought was a compliment, but then I realized, if ten years have gone by and I haven't changed at all, am I doomed to become one of those women who wears "mom jeans" that are washed out and skinny at the ankles, with an elastic waistband, who seem completely oblivious to the fact that not only are those pants really out of style, but they also make your stomach look perpetually ponchy and your bum look wider than your car? I mean, I am no fashion diva, and most fashion trends just seem sort of ridiculous to me, but perhaps in being this way, I teeter on the edge of becoming a "mom jeans" wearer.

We have N Thursday night and I am trying to brainstorm ideas. Anyone know of good, cheap kids activities? I am always caught off guard when we are with him and people think I am his mom. I suppose it's possible that I could have given birth at age 15, but still, it gets me every time. Funny too how kids have no real sense of age. They just know if you are over 20, you are "old". Jesse said something about age, and N said "You're 45?" with complete sincerity. I just laughed.

I painted some over the weekend. I hung up some painting as we were cleaning out the garage, mainly to get them out of there and into the house. They aren't exactly "hang up" worthy, but with a tiny house, sometimes the best storage is on the wall. Anyway, it's actually kind of nice, because I can just whip out the paint and go for it on the canvas, without having to set up an easel or clear off the table. Now that they are so easy to paint on, the wall of paintings may be perpetually changing until I can get at least one good one out of it. Sometimes it's nice to have paintings that you don't really care about anyway. It's so much easier to paint that way. When I have something that I actually like (rare!), I get nervous working on it, for fear I'll mess up the good things I've done. That makes it hard to complete a piece.

Well, my brother's girlfriend will be here in about 30 minutes and I need to put in a pizza for dinner. The GrapeNuts were my appetizer I guess. Oh! Speaking of pizza, exciting news - Freshcetta is now also making wheat crusts!! That is probably only exciting to me, but still I will share.

Brad Nailers and Air Compressors

Today I got my first taste of using a brad nailer. I think it's my new favorite tool, surpassing the hand sander. We put up some trim in the bedroom to finish framing out a block of paint that I had done a few months ago, then we also finished up some kitchen trim. Here's a pic of my handywork (the white trim around the edge):

Jesse's mom doesn't know this yet, but she bought him an air compressor for his birthday. Too bad the brad nailer isn't ours...

Horton wasn't too sure what to think of the brad nailer. He did, however, enjoy his time snuggling with his "cow cow". When we very first got him, our friends bought Horton some presents, one of which was this little stuffed cow. He likes to keep it on his bed and sometimes snuggles up with it. It's cute to see him chew on it, because he is so gentle with it.

And since I can't leave Abe out, this is a photo of him from a few weeks ago when we got a good snow. He was happy to just lay around in it.

Calling All Canadians!

So one of my classes this semester is "adult development and aging" and I'm working on my big final paper. Part of the requirement is to compare cultural values/public policies, etc. So, if any Canadian would like to give their opinion on any of the following questions, I would not be sad. (If you do give it, know that I may quote you in my paper.)

Ahem, here we go:

Do you like/agree with your government's policy regarding "social security" (i.e. Canada Pension Plan, stuff like that)?

Do you ever worry about having enough financially after you are retired?

Overall, how much does your culture value (or not value) its elderly population? Why?

Anything else you want to tell me (related to aging that is!)?

Wanting

I always kind of think that there are just a few things that I want, and once I have them, I'll just be done wanting. Tax season has made me realize that is not so much. We are actually getting a good sized refund this year, and have been planning what to do with it. Funny how a month ago, I mainly just wanted the kitchen and bathroom redone, and I was willing to wait to finish both of them, as I knew it would take a good amount of time to save up the money. However, now that this refund is coming, I want the kitchen finished, the bathroom finished, a little covered parking spot addition next to the garage, more landscaping, a new little patio spot out back, a chiminea, a swing, crown molding in the living room, and gee, it would be nice to have a little point and shoot digital camera too. Oh yea, and since Jesse is going to start school now too, it would be great to have another computer. And wouldn't it be nice to put some into savings too, say for a vacation down the road? Funny how this chunk of money, big to me, small to others, makes me suddenly long for things that I had never even considered wanting a month ago. It has made me see an ugly core thought in myself - I want life to be easier for me, and once it is and I have everything I want, then I guess I'll help others too. I struggle so much with what it means to be generous, and how wealth should look. I know I'm far from "Western wealth", but compare me to the entire world, and I'm sort of loaded. I've got a house, 2 vehicles, 2 dogs, and I can buy whatever kind of food my little taste buds desire. So why in the world would I need more? The answer is I don't. But I want more. And I just plain don't know what to do about it, if anything.

Highlight of the Mailbox

One thing that not many people know about me (don't get too excited - it's nothing deep) is that I have a very profound love and appreciation for good advertising. If I was a collector, this would definitely be what I would choose to collect. It's an art that few seem to succeed at, thus I take note when I see something quality. Today, I was cleaning and started going through the mail, expecting junk to throw away (minus the birthday card for Jesse from my Grandpa), when I was so pleasantly delighted to open this:

This is the single best piece of advertising I have seen in ages. It's from our bank. All banks down here are going nuts competing for business, and I've seen gimmick after gimmick. This, however, is just genius. It's a "Best Friends Forever" kit, a great 80's throwback reinvented. It comes complete with friendship bracelets (just like the ones I had in 3rd grade!!), fake tattoos, and "BFF cards" such as "Free ride to the airport", "1 Free Day of Moving" or "Free Kidney". The actual gimmick of course, is just the same as all the other banks - you refer a friend that opens an account and you both get 50 bucks - but the packaging is amazing!! I hope the person that worked on this campaign got a raise.

Back to the Kitchen

Well, Jesse and I got the kitchen about 90% finished (except the floor, which hasn't even begun) before he left on his trip. I meant to post these photos before he left, but in the rush, never got around to it.

Jesse's cutting the new counters to fit.Hooking the plumbing back up.
The grout kind of looked like baby poo when we were smearing it on. Thankfully, it dried much nicer/lighter.
The finished product!

Thanks Jesse!