so, yay! A trusted mechanic inspected the car and said it looks great. Now I can be nervous about: insurance company still hasn't emailed me the log in so I can print my temporary card, dealership hasn't called to let me know they got the fax from the insurance company showing I have full coverage.

Yesterday afternoon, I go to start my car and again it goes chugga chugga chugga but no vroom. Engine won't turn over. Loren tried to jump start it (which I was like, it's not the battery, because the lights and radio are on, but go ahead and try) and it didn't work. Since I've been sitting on a few thousand just waiting until I had the time to research and shop for cars, I decided instead of hitch-hiking to work I'd stay home and do that.

So, within my price range I found one dealership near us that had 6 cars that were on the Consumer Reports list of best used cars. We went there when Loren got home from work, and two of the cars from the internet were still being cleaned and checked out and stuff so they weren't available, and one additional one the guy showed me that I couldn't afford, and then back to the first one we'd looked at which I'd initially passed over because no power locks/windows, I test drove it and actually liked it a lot. A 2007 Hyundai Accent. So, I bought it. I've never bought a car before, and I have no credit history, and Loren had to cosign with me, and we still didn't get a great interest rate but I can afford the payments and it's a 3 year loan instead of a 5 year like the guy was trying to get me to get for a more expensive car.

And now I've barely slept because we didn't have an independent mechanic check it out so I'm all panicky that something major is wrong with it. It is still under the manufacturer's warranty which covers the transmission, drive train, and gasoline system, but what if it has electrical issues? Or leaky . . . whatever? Or the brakes are about to go? Or it needs new tires? And I know we should have had a mechanic look at it, but what mechanics are open at 9:00 at night? And how do you even take a car to a mechanic if you don't own it yet? So yeah, I'm all stressed out now, so I'll be calling a mechanic as soon as they open to see if I can bring the car for an inspection. But it's too late to not buy it, so I hope the car is in good shape.

So, ok, a while back I noticed that Loren's friend Sarah (Hi Sarah! *waves*) had posted a comment to something that my friend Mikey had posted on FB. Which probably means they know each other. I only met Sarah through Loren last year, but I've known Mikey since I was . . . 19 or 20? Shit really? Wow. Anyway, every time I think I'm meeting new people, turns out they're not really new, they're just old people I haven't met yet.

So, this guy on Facebook messaged me. See, if someone wants to friend me on there, and we have friends in common, I'll go ahead and friend them even if I really have no idea who they are. So anyway, this guy starts chatting with me, and we exchange pleasantries, and he mentions having seen me at Dragoncon and that at first he didn't realize who I was. So, I can't really keep hiding the fact that I don't know who he is, so I come out and ask. And, well, ok, now I don't feel so bad for not remembering, because he took his wife's last name when they married. Oh, and I haven't seen him since I was like, 14, which was . . . yeah, 20 years ago. TWENTY.

So, ok, I vaguely remembered his former name, but still couldn't quite place him. And he was all "Um. We dated for a bit?" Then I was like, O.M.G. Did you also go out with Chelsea? Who was my best friend at the time? And you dumped me for her? And then dumped her for me? Like, a few times, back and forth? And you drove us crazy? And he was like "Um, yeah, sorry about that."

Yeah. He was totally the guy we did a Ritual over. Yes, with a capital R. All occult and spooky. We took his stuff, stuff he'd given us or left at our houses, and we took it down to the running track, and we sprayed it with hairspray, and we lit it on fire. And then the fire wouldn't go out. So we had to run and grab clumps of dirt to throw on it. Which was, of course, hilarious to us at the time, and went a long way towards getting over him. I'd remembered the Ritual, and how ridiculous it was, but I'd totally forgotten who the guy was.

So, we chatted, and I checked out some of his pictures, and noticed that one of my DragonCon friends had commented on it, and it turns out he's known some of my friends from 'con for years. I kind of wanna be all "Hey, did you know your friend drove me to the occult when I was 14?"

I thought it was kind of sweet that he was all contrite for having put us through all that. We were kids. None of us knew what the hell we were doing. All is forgiven.

My favorite fall/winter pants, the purple velvet ones, don't fit anymore.  I mean, I can get them on, but they're not supposed to be tight, and they are. 

( Read more... )

I finally finished my costume for DragonCon!



( More pics after the cut . . .  )

My costume for DragonCon is almost finished. Ok, it's been almost finished for like, months, but now it's really almost finished. I like the way it's looking, but as I've mentioned to a few people, I realized my wings aren't actually steampunk. There's no steam power, no clockwork. They open and close by pulling a string, that's it. So I guess they're stringpunk? Anyhizzle, all I have left to do now is add some grommets and lacing to the bottom part of the pants, and possibly get different socks at Target. I like the current socks, they're just not as soft as the Target ones.

p.s. My heart is with you, Charlie Bear. *hugs*

I don't feel like I've been eating like a pig lately, yet somehow my weight goes up and up and up. I eat mostly healthy stuff, and not outrageous portions, but then I do have a cookie or two for dessert, or some ice cream, or a piece of cake. Not, mind you, a whole cake. A normal sized slice. And like, if I have dessert, I gain a whole pound the next day. I suppose eating like a normal person just will not help me lose weight, so I'll have to do the whole rabbit food and nothing else plan if I want to lose any weight. *sigh*

It's my turn for the economy to kick my ass! Yes, hard times have befallen my place of employment, and now I will no longer be supervising recess in the mornings. They've decided to give those duties to the teachers, who are salaried and already there all day anyway, and who apparently don't need bathroom breaks any more. I'll still have my after school hours, and there's a good possibility I'll keep my health insurance.

As for my three coworkers in the same situation, one got a classroom assistant job, one is looking for a full time job elsewhere, and the other . . . sigh. The other we all worry about. He's a bit older than us, legally blind, supporting a wife who is chronically ill and unemployed, and frankly has no skills outside child care. He's trying to get hours at the YMCA where he used to work mornings, and I really hope he does.

As for me, well, every day I feel so lucky to have Loren in my life. He didn't have to let me move in here in the first place, and now I won't be contributing as much financially as I have been, but he's being nothing but supportive. I keep expecting him to be all "Well, now you have to quit that job and go get another full time one, or at least get a part time morning job to make up the hours" but he's not. Because honestly, I don't want to. I did that before, worked at Michaels in the mornings and school in the afternoon, and I'd already be exhausted before getting the kids, and it kind of sucked.

Not that I plan on being lazy. I'll still get up when Loren does, and now I'll have time to keep the house clean, for one. I also really want to try opening an Etsy store and selling some of the crap I make. Plus, I can use the time for planning awesome projects for the after school kids. I already know they want to do a play (the rising 2nd graders remember a play I did with 1st and 2nd two years ago and now they're excited to do one too!) and now I'll have time to make sure it's actually good.

Oh, and of course, I'll also have more time to try to get good at guitar on Rock Band. :)

I don't remember how I came across this website, but every few days or so I check up on fmylife.com, where people post short missives about terrible things that happen to them. It's sort of funny, but sometimes just really sad.

In the comments for one of the entries, someone mentioned mylifeisg.com where people make short posts about the good things that happen to them. At least, that's what I thought it would be, but after reading a few pages it seems that a lot of the posts aren't from people who are happy because something good happened to them, but rather because of the good things they do for other people. It's kind of nice.

So, for the past 3 years, I've had essentially two jobs at the same private school: recess supervisor during the mornings, and after-school counselor in the afternoons. Added together, you get one full time job, with benefits.

We got called to a meeting yesterday, and unfortunately there isn't the money in the budget to keep paying us for doing recess duties, so now I am a part-time worker again. We may get to keep our benefits, may not.

What I don't get is this: primary school enrollment is up. More kids, more money coming into the school. Middle and upper school are hurting, but I don't know what that has to do with the Primary school budget.

And honestly, with the feedback we get and all the interest shown at our open houses, I bet the high quality of our after school program is one of the deciding factors when parents choose our school. And the way to keep the program's quality up is to keep quality people, and the way to keep quality people is to offer opportunities for advancement. If all this can ever be is a low-paying part-time job, all we will get will be college students, and I'm not knocking college students, but they don't stay.

I'm gonna be ok. My situation is ok, since I am lucky enough (so, so, so lucky and grateful) to live with someone who makes enough money for us to get by. I worry, however, about my co-workers, particularly Richard, who has been at this school for like 8 years, and has an unemployed wife with a chronic illness to take care of. I understand that budget cuts have to be made, (except, says the little whiny voice, that our enrollment is up. UP! Wtf?) but if cuts have to be made, why cut the hours of the people who were barely getting by before?

The HR lady who had the unfortunate task of informing us of this change said that compared to other schools, it's been a luxury for the teachers to not have to do recess duties, so we are seen as superfluous. I do understand that, really I do. Numbers wise, it makes sense. But morale wise? Compassion wise? Not so much. And not just for us, either. Some of those teachers are going to throw a fit, since they're used to having that time to eat lunch, use the restroom, organize supplies for the next activity, etc.

Also, I think it's going to be a bit sad for the kids to not have dedicated recess supervisors. When I'm out there with some teachers (not all, but quite a few) they don't seem to quite grasp the importance of play time, and the seriousness of the arguments the kids have. When you're on a deadline, have so much material you have to teach in such a short time, report cards to do, meetings to attend, lesson planning to do, it's really hard to care who was actually out in a game of four square. The teachers can be kind of dismissive of those issues, but to the kids, those are really important arguments about rules, and fairness.

In spite of this, I still love this school and most of the people who work there. For most of my time there, I've been paid significantly more than most after school workers, and I've been given raises and more responsibilities over the years. I feel like the people who actually see what we do, the teachers and primary staff, I feel like they really appreciate what we do. Unfortunately, they aren't the people making this call.

There is still a chance they'll find more hours for us. I said I'd do anything: cafeteria work, maintenance, cleaning, whatever. And you know, it could have been worse. Lots of people don't have jobs at all right now. Hopefully when the economy picks back up, they'll be able to put us back. I bet by then the teachers will be quite tired of recess duties. :)

Sometimes in life there's a plan A, and a plan B, and you can't do either but you have to choose one. But you can't. But you have to. But you can't. And both options hurt, so much, and you have stuff to do, but you can't stop thinking about it, and every time these thoughts pop up it's like a punch in the chest and you just keep crying.

This looks incredible:

http://www.filminfocus.com/focusfeatures/film/9

The guest bathroom at our place was, hmm, how should I put this? Falling down wallpaper, ugly border, and of course, the Smell. Yes, it needs the capital S. No matter how much bleaching, mopping, air freshening . . . the Smell would always return.

So, here was the plan:

1. Go to Home Depot for supplies.
2. Throw out and replace ancient cushioned toilet seat that was most likely the cause of the Smell.
3. Remove toilet tank to be able to get to the wall behind it.
4. Strip wallpaper.
5. Prime.
6. Paint.
7. Redecorate.

Here is how things actually have been going.

1. Go to Home Depot for supplies.
2. Throw out ancient cushioned toilet seat that did, indeed, have Smell.
3. Follow instructions for removing toilet tank. Turn off water, flush a few times to empty it, use absorbent towels and sponges to remove the rest of the water, loosen tank bolts . . . ahem, I said loosen tank bolts . . . ugh.
4. Cry.
5. Strip the wallpaper I can get to while waiting for Loren to get home to help me loosen tank bolts.
6. Watch Loren successfully loosen one bolt.
7. Hold screwdriver while Loren uses socket wrench on other bolt.
8. Watch Loren get drill.
9. Watch Loren attempt to loosen bolt with drill.
10. Watch Loren get rotary tool.
11. Hold toilet tank at the appropriate angle while Loren cuts through the nut with rotary tool.
12. Watch Loren attempt to get remaining half of nut off.
13. Hold tank again while Loren cuts some more.
14. Celebrate joyfully once tank is free.
15. Continue stripping wallpaper.
16. Get to the point where further stripping of paper involves scraping with my fingernail to remove tiny little bits of backing paper.
17. Notice that some of the stuff coming off isn't backing paper, but actually a layer of wallboard.
18. Decide to texture paint to cover torn paper all over the place.
19. Go to Home Depot for more supplies.
20. Prime with oil based Killz.
21. Get kind of dizzy and sick because this room is tiny with no windows.
22. When primer is dry, start slapping on joint compound and using a texture roller over it.
23. Enjoy the effect.
24. Watch chunks of wall come off onto the roller from the half-wall next to the toilet.
25. Realize actual wall is kind of rotting away.
26. Cry.
27. Complain to Loren about it.
28. Decide that no, I actually don't want to replace a wall by myself.
29. Cover rotting part with more primer.
30. When primer is dry, cover with more joint compound, but don't use texture roller.
31. Take a shower and go out to dinner with Loren because he offered because he saw how exhausted and frustrated I was and he knew I wasn't going to want to cook anything, plus he wanted to go out anyway because of how tired and hungry he was too.
32. Get up and do a second coat of joint compound on the rotting part.
33. Cross fingers.
34. Use texture roller.
35. Be amazed and happy that no more chunks are falling off.
36. Make a mental note to hire someone to replace that wall someday, like when I win the lottery. If I ever start playing the lottery, that is.

Today, I am taking the day off from this project, and then tomorrow I can start painting the ceiling, and then prime and paint the textured walls. That looks like three things to do, but who knows how many more steps it will actually turn into.

I know he loves me because:

He'll suffer through American Idol so he can spend time with me.
He always kisses me goodbye.
He rubs my neck when it hurts.
He holds my hand in public.
He let me move in. With my cat.
He patiently tolerates my bouts with irrationality.
He came to get me when my car was being a butt head.
He calms me down when I freak out over stuff.
He takes little moments to grab me and kiss me even when he's busy.
He tells me.

Steampunk airship pirate costume for 'con. I've made the goggles, I've got the outfit, now I'm done repainting the gun:




I just have to make a holster, possibly some jewelry, and . . . one more thing.

Had time off this week, made stuff.

( pictures after the cut )

Kieran, put the moon back when you're done playing with it!

I knew it was inevitable that I'd move in with my guy eventually, I just didn't know it would be so soon. But it turns out that when Dad isn't getting any work, my salary alone isn't enough to keep us in this place, so he's moving in with my sister and I'm moving in with my boyfriend. 

I'm happy and scared.  I'm a bit scared that I should be more scared than I am.  I'm worried about the process of moving, because I hate it, and about if our cats are going to get along . . . but not so much about if he and I are going to enjoy living together.  Of course I have a smidgen of doubt, but it's not from anything about him or anything about me, but just because, well, you're supposed to wait longer than this, right?  You're not supposed to move in with someone after only a few months of dating, right? Even if you know without a doubt that this is the person you're going to be with for the rest of your life?  Even if the first time you slept over you felt like you were home? 

I feel like the pressure to worry is coming from outside myself, from what everyone says you're supposed to do, not because I have any real reason to worry.  But this whole relationship has been like that, like it's been difficult to believe that it really could be this easy, this drama-free, this secure, this . . . obvious.  But it is.  It all just makes sense.