Stuff to Check Out

I want to write a post.  I really do.  But my brain is just done at the moment.  I'm emotionally and physically and spiritually exhausted.  There is, for the first time this week, sunshine streaming through my office window, and, while that is definitely a hope-filled thing for me, quite honestly, the warmth of it is just making me want to curl up in a ball and sleep the rest of the day away.  I'm mentally running through my list of friends and trying to figure out who I can talk into making a somewhat impromptu day trip to the mountains next weekend - maybe lunch in Canmore and the hotsprings, but they'll have to drive... I could use an escape to some breathing space.  Or maybe someone's interested in just going for a walk in a park here in the city?  Next Saturday, May 8th.  Let me know.

In the meantime, until I can summon the mental capacity to write down the things I'm thinking about, here is some stuff that made me laugh, made me cry, or made me think this morning:

Dana posted the Veggie Tales Cheeseburger song today.  It was just the right amount of ridiculous to make me smile.

Kelle shared the most beautiful two part account of her daughter Nella's birth, written by Kelle's father.
You can find part 1 here. 
And part 2 here.
I think I would have cried at the beauty even if I wasn't already a puddle of tears today.

This revised list of the 10 highest and 10 lowest produce items for pesticides both surprised and alarmed me.  I'm thinking I need to re-work my grocery purchases to include a few more organic items.

I'll add the caveat that I haven't watched the video yet, but I loved Donald Miller's post today about writing a storyline for your life instead of a mission statement.  Good stuff there.  I might even give it a shot tonight.

Monday morning basics

I have a car now, did I mention that on the weekend?

But I still took the train to work today.  I find driving stressful at the best of times, and even more so since my car accident in late January.  So, I cut off the time I spend on the bus by driving my car to my parent's house, parking it there, and walking to catch the train.  They live about a 3 minute walk from a train station.  My plan is to still take the train 3-4 days a week, using this new method.  I've found I greatly appreciate that quiet time in the mornings and after work, time where I can simply worship, or listen to a sermon or audiobook.  Without the stress of focusing on the road while I listen, or worship or pray.

It was nice to sleep a bit later, and to dress for the day in a slightly less hurried fashion.  The advantage of not having to be at the bus stop by exactly 6:54 am.

If I take the train 3-4 days a week, I can justify the purchase of a bus pass.  I'm fairly certain that I'll save the cost of the bus pass in gas, and the bus pass is a tax deduction at the end of the year.  Not a huge one, but a deduction none-the-less.  And, not only is less driving less stress, but it fits well with my desire to live more simply, and more environmentally friendly.  Especially since my car is quite old, and probably not the most fuel efficient vehicle on the planet.

It's Monday and the air conditioner in our office building is broken.  There is a call in to the provider, and hopefully we'll get some movement on this today.  We've hit the first hot weather of the season, and we're on the top floor, and it is HOT in here.  (And if I'm saying it's hot, it really must be, since I'm generally always cold!)  I'm particularly invested in someone coming to fix the air conditioner because I'm the one on our staff that people will complain to and grump at because they're too warm.

I'm thinking, given the heat, that I'll skip my planned bowl of oatmeal for breakfast, and eat the mini cinnamon buns that I brought with me instead.  A tasty was to start the day.  I'll probably skip my mug of tea as well, though that I'll miss just a little bit more.

I'm just thankful that I went with the impulse to wear a skirt and short-sleeved top this morning.

So, it's Monday morning, and those are the basics right now.

Heat.  Water.  Finding ways to utilize my car, but still be less stressed.  Breakfast.  And maybe tea.

Stuff I'm Thinking About

I have a whole mish-mash of thoughts running through my head today, on a wide variety of issues, ideas and plans.

I'm definitely going to buy the stuff and try my hand at making one of these - how pretty is that?

I live in a dark basement where no plants can survive, but I've become a houseplant evangelist overnight, and as soon as I move to someplace that has light again, I'm going to buy a whole bunch.  In fact, I'm going to start by getting several for my office.  Why, you ask?  I read this article last night, that informed me that sometimes the air inside of the building is more toxic than the air outside, and that houseplants, and in particular certain plants, do an incredible job of removing those toxins from the air.  Very cool.

And, since I've been all about finding ways to live simply and "green" lately, as soon as I have a place of my own again, I'm going to give making my own household cleaners a try too.  I have some friends who have started doing that lately, and had good results, so I think I'll give it a shot.  I was always doubtful that you could properly clean something without chemicals, but it seems like investing in having less toxins in the air is probably good, not only for the environment in general, but for me, since I tend to be a bit chemically sensitive.  I found an article here with recipes for a bunch of basic homemade cleaning products, and I'm going to give it a shot.

I'm amazed by this story about how a volcanic erruption in Iceland is wreaking havoc on European air travel, and I'm thinking about a friend who flew through Heathrow the other day, and will be coming back through next week.

I'm scheming about ways to save money on groceries for a little while, and still eat healthy and I think I'm going to attempt to buy minimally and really use up the stuff I've collected in the pantry and freezer.  As best I can figure, I should really only have to buy some fresh veggies and fruit, and maybe some bread and chicken (just to break up the monotony of beef and pork that's in my freezer) for a while.  Maybe even a month or two.  Sweet.

I'm pondering how much harder it has been to keep up the habits of eating healthy since moving into Grandma's house because of the poorly equipped kitchen and the general lack of motivation to cook while being closely watched by my rather nosy Grandmother, and I'm trying to come up with ways around that, since I've definitely noticed the difference in how well I feel as my healthier habits have taken a nosedive.  I'm remembering how well it worked to cook two meals at once earlier this week and just stash them in the fridge for the remainder of the week, and I'm considering the merits of batch cooking and freezing a whole bunch of individual meals for myself.  If any of you are in Calgary and are interested in getting together some Saturday to cook several meals for freezing and easy access later, let me know, I'd love to cook with you!

Living in what has been an extremely challenging, and often toxic environment for the last nearly two months has left me thinking a lot again about what I want when I finally manage to have a home of my own.  Simple, and as enviromentally friendly as possible are what I'm leaning towards.

Also, I want to garden.  I want to grow herbs, and maybe some of my own vegetables, or check into Community Supported Agriculture, or at least patronize the Farmer's Market more regularly again.  That last one should be easier to do soon.  I'm within a week of having a car that is driveable again.

And with that, I'd better dive back into the many things demanding my attention.