Category: NaBloPoMo

I let myself get tagged for this meme on Facebook by Carl Bettis and I figured, why not make it into a blog post while I"m at it?

I'm going to try to keep this list to things that I've never mentioned on the blog before, so it's going to be even more mundane than my usual fare, I predict. Here we go:

1. I can't stand to look at pictures of decorated fingernails (that's my top unfollowed thing on Pinterest), yet I always keep my toenails painted.
2. Home decor and home improvement projects are among my favorite things to plan. If I could afford it, I'd have my house razed and rebuilt from scratch.
3. Given the time and an open agenda, I would happily do nothing but read book after book, all day long and into the night.
4. Objectively, I know I plan and do an awful lot of stuff every day. However, I still feel like I'm fundamentally lazy.
5. My next big life goal is more food and energy self-sufficiency. I'm going to start with stepping up my gardening next year and I hope to eventually work my way up to solar panels someday.
6. I have absolutely no interest in posing for a "pinup" photo. A lot of my friends have had them done and they look amazing, but I just feel like they're not for me. This is despite the fact that I get photographed a lot in the context of my band.
7. Another thing I don't envision myself ever doing: running a marathon. Someday I'll work my way up to running an entire 5K instead of alternating running and walking. That's probably as far as my running ambitions will ever go. However, if you're running a marathon for charity, I'll be happy to donate.
8. What's the secret to life, the universe and everything? For me it's yoga. There's nothing like it to tune up my brain and make me feel strong and pain-free. Yet my practice consistency is abysmal and I have a terrible time maintaining routine class attendance. Talk about self sabotage.
9. Seeing my niece performing in plays over the last couple of years has made me ponder the idea of auditioning for community theater myself. However, although I'd be fine with any singing that needed to be done, I'm pretty sure that my inability to convincingly deliver a line of dialogue combined with my innate lack of dancing ability would swiftly put paid to that idea.
10. Despite my long history of enjoying the hair metal of my youth, I have decided that I'm tired of Mötley Crüe and would be fine never hearing any of their songs again.

Photo credit: macca

I know. I'm surprised, too. Usually I cram in all my shopping in December—not on Christmas Eve like a guy, but close enough to the mark that I sometimes buy too much because I'm slightly panicked.

This year I started picking up things here and there in my travels and in addition to my regular Amazon orders. I need to drop off gifts for three needy kids at my Soroptimist meeting tomorrow, so that spurred me to action as well.

That brings me to wrapping paper. I got a pitch email from a company called Minted a couple of weeks ago. They're an online stationery store that features the work of independent artists and offers a lot of customization for their truly lovely paper products, including holiday photo cards and my favorite, wrapping paper.

I happen to have some nice black and white photos of my husband and me taken earlier this year as part of the Roadway Studio Project, so I'm excited about getting some of them incorporated into a gift wrap design. Here's a look at what I've put together so far. The dotted lines show the areas where I've customized.

I've included some pet photos as well because…it's me. I'm also considering getting the recipe design customized with one of my cookie recipes.

For the last several years we haven't exchanged gifts in my family except to get presents for the kids. This year my aunt urged us to go back to a more traditional holiday celebration, so that gives me about a dozen people to shop for if you include a couple of friends with whom I generally exchange gifts. It's actually kind of fun, but I can guarantee you won't see me out on Thanksgiving or Black Friday.

Disclosure: In exchange for the mentions of Minted and links to the site, I have been offered store credit.

I hate to be that guy who complains about the cold weather, but I'm going to anyway. It's just so cold everywhere I go! My office is freezing year 'round, my house is horribly drafty and I can't seem to keep my hands warm in my car, even with gloves on.

Fortunately there are solutions.

I keep two blankets at the office. There's a grey knitted blanket that is big and warm but too linty if I'm wearing black. That's when I switch to the smaller fleece airplane-style blanket. Sometimes I wear them around the office like capes. I'm not proud.

At home I wear a robe pretty much all the time. I have three to choose from, each more hideous than the last. There's the pink fluffy one that adds 40 pounds to my apparent weight, the pilly green and blue argyle one that I got at a clothing exchange, and finally the blue chenille one that makes me look like I'm wrapped in a big towel.

Whether I'm in clothes or pajamas, you'll find me wearing one of these robes on top in the fall and winter. Yes, I wear them out into the yard while I'm walking the dog. If he starts taking me up the street, we have an ugly robe fashion show for the neighbors. Again, not proud.

Speaking of the dog, he's the reason I have no complaints about the temperature in my bedroom. As soon as I get into bed, he jumps up and paws the covers until I lift them up. Then he curls into the hollow of my chest and stomach and falls asleep for the night. It's like having a dog-shaped hot water bottle under the blanket with me.

So I have most of the solutions I need, but I had to get my annual complaining out of my system anyway. And if you can think of a way I can warm up my cold nose, let's hear it.

Photo credit: Melinda Shelton

Well, yesterday got the best of me and I forgot to do a post.

Here's what I was doing instead:

• Sleeping later than I should have.
• Working all day.
• Punctuated by a doctor's appointment.
• Running errands for my dad, who has just been released from the hospital and can't drive for a bit.
• Chatting with an old bandmate who came by the house to sell some drums to my husband.
• Going to dinner with my husband.
• Watching "Sleepy Hollow."
• Feeding and taking the dog out as needed.
• Going to bed on time.

Those aren't excuses, just reasons. I'm just going to proceed from here and try to get in 29 posts this month instead of thirty. 

Photo credit: 4rilla