Equilibrium

A winter storm visited our area this week.
Two weeks ago we had some ice accumulation as well. Depending on where you are from, this would barely register as a blip on the radar.
The South, however, goes six shades of crazy at a possible hint of extreme (to us) wintery weather. We live in an area on the freeze line, so weather could go either way for us. Thankfully, it wasn't too bad.

Tuesday, we waited with nervous anticipation to see if we were frozen over on Wednesday. It rained and rained on Wednesday, but I'm so grateful that the temps hovered just above freezing so ice was mostly in the tops of trees and not on the ground. Since I live in town, I don't drive over any bridges, so my life went on as usual.

Well, sort of. We lost power like many did. It does something to my psyche by throwing me off balance. I realize just how dependent I am on electricity and how I have to think really hard to figure out how to adapt. It was unsettling.

The irony is, I have half a dream that involves living off the grid. Which really means not being beholden to anyone for my electricity and comforts while still having all those comforts.

I was so puzzled by why so many lost power when, 2 weeks ago, it seemed that we got more ice, but few lost power. This time, there was lots of rain, little ice but power went out all over town. Businesses, homes, traffic lights...crazy. And lots of traffic! I'm grateful that we were without power for only 6ish hours. Others are still without power and it's been over 30 hours. There are predictions of it lasting 3 days or more.

The positive thing for me is that it helped us make a list of things we need for an emergency situation like this. An alternate source of heat is one. I'm looking at woodstoves and fireplaces. We have GOT to learn to be more self-sufficient. And teach our daughter too.

I'd love to hear your ideas!

Sacrilege

Going about my daily life seems sacrilege.

As if I don't realize life has stopped.

Yet I rise, make coffee and go about my day as if nothing has happened.

Sacrilege.

Life has been arrested. But no bond has been set because, no amount of money can buy it back.

Yet life goes on.

Sacrilege.

As a society, we've grown to expect things instantly. Coffee, cash, food...but not death. Yet it happens more instantaneously than anything else on earth. Something we'll never get used to.

Sacrilege.

She wasn't my daughter, yet I find that can't grieve enough for someone I didn't lose.

In honor of Jessie, a 15 year old student at my daughter's school who died unexpectedly last night.

Living Life 30 Minutes At the Time

*SIGH*

That about sums it up for me right now.

I find myself distracting myself with inane things, raising procrastination to a fine art.

I'm tired.

I'm burnt out.

I'm overwhelmed just thinking of all that needs to be done and frustrated that I can't get it done quickly.

I'm very impatient.

I find myself with the mindset of "let's get this done and get on to the next thing". Perhaps my job feeds that mindset. Every 30 minutes, I'm doing a color or a haircut. My job is wonderful. I love the variety and creativity of it.

But real life is not always that interesting.

There are projects around my house that are more mundane and won't be done handily in a 30 minute window.

Neither, apparently, will they be done in the space of a weekend.

I've found that a weekend holds just enough time to "get ready" to do a project, but not enough time to actually complete anything.

So I'm gearing up for...HOUSE CAMP '09.

This year for vacation I will accomplish several things--I hope.

1. Rest. No getting up at the crack of dawn and scrambling to the gym and then on through my day.

2. Plan. Map out the projects I have and break them down into manageable sections. (Preferably in 30 minute windows.)

3. Progress. Be able to look back at the end of the week and feel good at what's been accomplished.

4. PLAY. REMEMBER THAT I'M ON VACATION, FOR PETE'S SAKE!!

Now I'm going to go figure out how to procrastinate my procrastinating!

Big Mac Attack

We are a two computer family. Hubby has a desktop, I have a laptop. I use the term "I have" loosely since he uses the laptop more than I do. (It's just so dang portable!)

The OS in his computer crashed. We are limping along using the laptop for his photo editing and slideshows. Since my laptop crashed at Christmas, it's activity is tenuous and it's developed idiosyncrasies it didn't have before.

So we are computer shopping.

I don't know why we've never looked at Macs more seriously before.

Macbook Pro

Yes I do.

They are expensive and such "a-horse-of-a-different-color" that I semi-considered that people who owned them were a cult.

Then I began talking to one of my clients who is an unabashed Mac proselytizer. One of my employees brings her little Macbook to work and I've gotten to see for myself what the hub bub is about.

I'm sold.

Now my eyes are beginning to take on that slightly glazed look as I consider the perfect wonderment of both of us having our own Mac laptops...

I picture us strolling into an glossy Apple store; the nirvana of technological gadgetry, and with gleaming smiles and twinkles in our eyes, placing two shiny new Macbook Pros into the shopping cart. I see us sitting side by side comparing notes as we discover each new treasure hidden in the depths of this miraculous machine...

Sigh.

My firstborn is for sale. Any offers?

Whooo! Can't believe it's been a week since I blogged! Time can really get away from me...obviously.

I don't know why my life seems so busy right now. I haven't added anything extra to the mix--other than being really busy on the weekends these days. That's when I plan to relax and delve into my hobbies (and catch up on housework) but recently my weekends seem to schedule themselves. This past weekend I was thinking that I had a weekend with no plans (always the goal) and...whaddaya know?! My little girl had a birthday party to attend, my sister came for a visit and I took a trip to a neighboring town to take my girl for her portrait sitting. (An artist friend and I are bartering. She'll paint my daughter's portrait.)

See? All good things, but they just jump on my calendar!

O.K. We're going to try again this weekend. So far, there is only a massage scheduled for Friday. Oh. And a graduation Friday night in a town about 30 min. away. Ohhhh-kaaaay.

You can't have Saturday! No how! No way!

(Stay tuned...)