Frustration Is Abbreviated C.C.S.

It seemed like everyone was playing but me.

I was constantly bombarded with requests to play.  I successfully ignored them for months but finally gave in…begrudgingly.

Shortly after joining millions of my nearest and dearest friends, a problem occurred that told me my decision to surrender was not the smartest one I’d ever made.  I could not get Facebook and my iPod Touch to sync.  I didn’t really mind playing one game on my Touch and one on FB until I reached the point on my Touch where I needed help from friends to get to the next level.  My friends couldn’t help me because they were not lazing around inside my Touch just waiting for the chance to help.  Nope, if they were inside my Touch at all they were laughing at my inability to figure out where the broken connection was and how to fix it.

I finally managed to get the Touch and FB to play nice, but now that everything was synced I ran into an even bigger problem.

I’m stuck!  And I have been for so many days that time is now being measured in weeks!  My friends have generously been sending me extra lives and moves in hopes that I’ll get unstuck.  It hasn’t worked…I’m still stuck!

Where am I?

Here…stuck on level 79 in Candy Crush Saga…

I’ve gotten as close as one move shy of beating this level, but more often than not, I’m dozens of moves from victory.

DOZENS!

I’ve tried pleading with the game and even swearing at it in a very lady-like way.  When both of those failed I tried swearing like a sailor, but that was as effective as cursing at rush-hour traffic in SoCal in hopes of getting it to move faster than 10mph.  I tried bargaining with the game…”If you just let me clear this level then I promise that I will…”.

Sorry…what I promised is between me and the game

I’ve even tried letting the game tell me which moves to make, but that didn’t work.  I still lost.  I guess the good news on that front is the game doesn’t know how to win either!

I’m generally a nice person, but when my friends get to level 79 and leave me in the dust, I don’t send them lives anymore…or extra moves.  Sometimes I just have to be mean like that. 

In all of this frustration there are two really good points about this game.

First, if you’ve used up your five lives (and any bonus lives friends have sent you) in less than 30 minutes you can’t play anymore.  The game only gives you one new life every 30 minutes (up to five) so you can’t play all day, which of course I would.  There is an option to buy lives but since I’m not willing to go that route, I’m in time-out a lot.

Second, when you screw up royally and can’t make any more moves, the game shuffles the pieces for you without penalty.  Trust me on this point…I’ve got a boatload of experience with that happening.

If…I mean WHEN…I finally clear level 79 I get to move on to level 80, all this on my way to completing the 380 levels that currently exist in the game.  Of course, at the rate I’m going, by the time I reach level 380 there will be 800 levels!

Family Room Project

Five months after relocating to California I moved into a brand new house.  I’ve been in that house for just under 8 years, and like all homeowners, I’ve spent a lot of time working on projects – painting all the walls, painting a mural on laundry room walls, installing a custom master closet, hooking an 8′ x 10′ rug for my dining room and converting my entire front yard to drought tolerant landscaping, just to highlight a few.

I’ve been project-less since late 2011 and have felt a bit aimless.  I’m not sure why I can’t just kick back and enjoy all that I’ve done without feeling the need to do more, but I do.  I’m gonna give my Dad credit for that fault of mine as he was always puttering on projects while I was growing up.

Early this year a friend mentioned that she had a lead on a piano.  She desperately wanted one so that her young sons could take lessons.  I told her that if her lead fell through, I had one that was hers for the taking as long as she hauled it away.

The deal fell through.

She hauled away my piano.

Once I had offered the piano to her my brain went into overdrive, full of excitement about a new project!  What made it even more exciting was I knew this was giving me the opportunity to finally hang some of Mom’s paintings!

Now to figure out what to do with this blank wall…notice kitty Scarpetto checking out the space where the piano used to reside.

It didn’t take long for a plan to gel in my mind.  Tracking down the supplies ended up being a bit more involved, but I was determined.

First up, three base cabinets from IKEA.  Each cabinet is 30″ high x 30″ wide x 24″ deep and has 2 adjustable shelves.  One Friday night I drove down to San Diego to retrieve my new cabinets then quickly assembled them the next day.  I left the doors in their boxes for safety and the rest of the shelves in a closet.

Not impressed yet?  Neither was I, but the wall was starting to take shape.

In addition to the cabinets, there was also going to be a workspace, a melamine desktop with four wooden legs.  I needed to find the chair first so that I knew how tall the legs needed to be.  This is where the project hit a big delay.  I wasn’t sure what I wanted for a chair other than it wasn’t going to be an “office” chair.  I also knew that when I saw the perfect chair I’d know it.

I was right.  As soon as I saw this chair I knew it was perfect!  It didn’t come from furniture stores or department stores…nope…it was another find at IKEA.

On the far right of the right cabinet there is a 31″ space before you hit a wall that juts out from the back wall.  This wall is 18″ deep and off of that is the breakfast bar.  If I put cabinets all the way up to this wall I would not be able to have the third bar stool at the breakfast bar because of the cabinet depth.  It would be wasted space and would look terrible.

What to do?

I solved that problem easily, but the answer once again bogged down progress as I tried to find a true white product.  I finally found it on-line at Home Depot, ordered it, brought it home…

…assembled it and partially filled it.

All that was left was to build/prime/paint the bases for the cabinets, get the melamine cabinet/desk tops, buy/prime/paint the wooden legs for the desk and hang my Mom’s now framed paintings.

I went to Home Depot and purchased the wood for the bases.  For the single cabinet I miter cut the front and side boards so there wouldn’t be any cut edges showing, then added a back board to make a rectangle.  I put another board front-to-back in the center for support.  I repeated this for the pair of cabinets but put three boards front-to-back for support.  All joints were reinforced with L brackets.

My arms were very happy with me after all that hand sawing!  NOT!

BUT…

While taking a break from sawing I noticed these on a shelf in my garage.

Eager to extend my break, I took one leg into the family room, sat in the white chair and stood the leg up next to me.  PERFECT!  No need to deal with wooden legs!

I finished sawing and assembling the bases, painted them (the wood I bought was already primed) then brought them into the family room and attached them to the cabinets…with more L brackets.

I moved the cabinets out-of-the-way, measured the wall and Mom’s framed paintings, did some careful calculations, hung the paintings then slid the cabinets back into place.

After work the next day I stopped at Home Depot again to get the 3/4″ melamine tops.  I had charted out the cuts I needed to make sure there was no waste in the 49″ x 97″ board.  The employee made all the cuts for me and opted against charging me for them since I came so prepared.  After a quick dinner I ironed the melamine edging to all edges of the counter/desk tops that would be exposed, screwed the counter tops to the cabinets, assembled the desk, put some goodies on the surfaces then stood back to admire my handiwork.

YAY!  I am thrilled!!!!  I also know that if I had power tools I’d be dangerous! 

There’s still a few finishing touches left to do, but none would make this look much different from the picture.

My family room/kitchen/dining room is one large room, and now that the family room looks a bit more sophisticated, I’m working on part two of this project to update another area.  Unfortunately it won’t be complete for a couple more weeks, and I’m not giving any sneak peeks.  But, as soon as it’s done I’ll be sure to fill you in.

Mommy’s Watercolors

I come by my creativity the honest way – the gene pool.  And I double-dipped in the deep end of that pool for sure.  My Mom painted, cross stitched, knitted, crocheted, played piano and gardened.  My Dad excelled at woodworking and playing the accordion.

One of the very best things about those creative genes is the tangible legacy left behind once someone has passed away.  In this case, my Mommy’s watercolors.

Shortly after Mom passed away in November 2003, my siblings and I went through her collection and selected the ones we wanted.  I’ve been anxious to get some of them professionally matted and framed so I could proudly display them in my home, but I never had the perfect spot for them.  While I was being indecisive, the watercolors patiently waited, snugly tucked in the portfolio case that had been their home for nearly 10 years.

A couple of months ago I found the perfect spot to hang three of these treasures.  I pulled out the portfolio case and instantly selected the three that would work perfectly together.

Not only do these three tug at my heart because of how much I love snow, but also because they are a mirror into my Mom’s soul, a reminder of the deep love she had for the very rural Massachusetts town where she spent her formative years (and where her ashes were spread).

I made an appointment with Sally, the framer at my local Joann’s store, and the minute I met her I knew that this framing experience was going to be incredible.  We connected immediately and had the same vision for how these “needed” to look.

If you’ve ever tried to pick mats for one picture you know how difficult this process can be; Sally and I were working to pick mats that would work for all three pictures!

It took less than 5 minutes.

I wanted a light-colored top mat and was very interested in a textured one so that it wouldn’t be too bright.  Sally’s selection was perfect!

In fact, when I picked up the framed pieces, Sally said that as she was working on the pictures the top mat reminded her of hay.  I agree!

Given the winter scenes, the paintings felt “cool” so I was insistent that the mats not add to that feeling.  The middle mat we selected was a bit cool but the bottom mat warmed everything up.

The last thing we had to do was choose a frame.  Sally pulled a barn-board frame corner off the wall and laid it on the mat corners.  Though the theme of the frame was perfect, the frame itself was too gray.  I asked her to pull the one below and when she laid it on top of the mat corners we both looked at each other and smiled.  It had the barn-board effect but it also had a tan color that was nearly the exact same color as the bottom mat.

I did not hesitate for a second trusting my treasures with Sally.  Everything had gone so easily and Sally and I got along so well that I knew she would frame these pictures with as much care as if they were her own.

A very long two weeks later Sally called to let me know they were ready to be picked up.  When she unwrapped the first one I had all I could do not to cry.  I’m sure Sally heard my sharp intake of breath….I know she saw my hand fly up to cover my mouth.  She was smiling broadly and she absolutely deserved to – she should be so proud of the job she did!!!

Oh….you want to see them?  Well, okay, as long as you promise to ignore the light reflection in the lower right corners 

This painting hangs on the left…

this one hangs in the middle…

…and this one hangs on the right.

Where are they hanging?  Well folks, that’s another story, and it will be told in my next post!!

Never Underestimate The Power Of The Needles

On Thursday April 11th I read an e-mail at 4:30AM that turned my world upside down.  One of my very best friends, T, let me know that her sister K had just been diagnosed with cancer.  K had been cervical cancer free for 14 years….then BAM.  This new cancer wasn’t new at all….it was the same cancer but in a new location.

The prognosis was bleak – 20% survival rate, 6-9 months if K was not in the 20%.

T asked if it would be possible for me to knit K an afghan.  My first thought was “An afghan?  Really???  That’s all you want?”.  Within seconds my brain went into design mode and by 6AM when I had to kick into my pre-work routine, the afghan was designed and a swatch had been knitted.  On the drive to work I mentally made a minor modification to the pattern and during my lunch break, I charted the design and calculated how much yarn I’d need to purchase.

After work I headed to Joann’s and tossed the needed pastel colors of Deborah Norville Serenity Chunky yarn into my cart.  This yarn instantly popped into my head as the yarn to use for the afghan as I’ve used it before on sweaters for me, and it is by far the softest yarn ever.  Whenever I’m not feeling well or need comfort, those sweaters are the ones I reach for.  I wanted this afghan to give K that same kind of comfort.

I started the afghan that night right after I fed the kitties and myself.  I worked on it Friday before and after work.  Both Saturday and Sunday I sat on the sofa all day with my needles flying.  By the time I went to bed Sunday night I only had 20 rows left to finish, an easy task for Monday.

The afghan, which I call The K, is rife with symbolism.  The vertical stripes represent some of the different paths you can choose to take with your life.  The blocks of color within each stripe represent the opportunities and adventures you have on any path.  Running up the middle of each stripe is a cable that represents the twists and turns life throws at you not matter which path you choose.

I spent the rest of the week and the following weekend knitting a few chemo caps for K and finishing a scarf for T.  A box of knitted love headed east on Monday.

The box arrived safe and sound the day before K had her first chemo treatment.  Late the following afternoon T gave the box to K and shortly thereafter T sent me this picture (K’s face is covered by me to protect her privacy).

T texted me the next morning, thanking me again for the afghan.  She said she wished I were there so I could hear K’s voice cracking with emotion as she told everyone, repeatedly, about the afghan and the symbolism in it.  T said that the afghan  had become a centerpiece, a materialized object of K’s life journey.  T’s last sentence made me cry…. “I will never forget what you have done for my sister.”

That’s when I realized that by honoring T’s request, I had grossly underestimated how the afghan would help others.  What I had hoped would offer K some comfort, had in fact, comforted the three of us…and connected us in a most powerful way.  Suddenly the 3000 miles that separated me from them were gone.

Never underestimate the power of your needles (or your preferred craft).  Every minute you put into your creation fills it with a magic that is felt by the lucky person who receives it.

I’ve Missed Blogging

…really I have!

Honest!

For the past few months life has just sucked so much of my creative juices that when I’d sit at the computer my mind was blank.  That’s not to say that I haven’t been writing posts – I’ve written dozens of awesome ones in my head – they just haven’t made it out my fingers.

After my Alaskan cruise I spent 2-3 months overwhelmed with work, but I’m not (really) complaining as never once was any stress related to keeping a job.  I did spend some time fighting tears of exhaustion thanks to a three-week pre-trade show span of time where I was only sleeping a couple of hours a night.  I spent these days working for 3 or more hours at home before leaving for the office at 7AM, working all day at the office then for 3-4 hours once I got back home.  This period was really rough – I was not a fan of having to turn the TV on in the morning to figure out what day it was, and whether I could work at home or if I had to get dressed and trudge into the office.  I was forgetting things at home (like my briefcase or my lunch) or at the office (my cell phone or flash drive) and when asked a question, I was completely aware of staring blankly at the questioner while forcing myself to focus on the question and plow through all the cobwebs in my brain to figure out the answer.  The latter was the most frustrating for me and those around me because I rarely can’t answer a question immediately…and I never stare blankly at anyone.

My pet phrase during this time was that everyone was lucky I put my clothes on in the right order that morning. 

The show came and went in early January and everything worked out beautifully as it always manages to do.  Within two weeks of the end of the show my ulcer calmed itself down and life was looking good!

Since then there have been hundreds of little things that have zapped my creative energy, much like sleet pellets stinging your face on a winter day.  None of them by themselves were major, and one at a time they would not have bothered me, but the continual bombardment kept my writing non-existent.

There were a lot of good things too, some even great, so life was not all terrible.  I did a LOT of knitting (afghans, star ornaments, scarves, shawls, sweaters), gardening, cooking, painting and other creative endeavors, but none of them required me to think – I just had to follow directions.  If you write, you know that if you want to produce something good, you have to work at it.  Even this post, I’ve edited it several times and changed words, tenses, etc.  That’s the creative energy I couldn’t find.

But have no fear —- I’ve found it again, and it’s a good thing because I have lots fill you in on.

Stay tuned!

Weekly Photo Challenge: Geometry

WordPress offers a weekly photo challenge —- this week I’m participating!

The photos are a collection from what my lens saw in and around my house and at Temecula Olive Oil Company’s ranch.  Enjoy!

 

The Middle

Four years ago tonight there was a beginning.  As a nation, the United States was making history no matter the outcome of the presidential election.  We would either elect the first African-American President or the first female Vice-President.  I hoped and voted for the former…

So did America.

I celebrated.

The celebration quickly turned to despair as the bottom fell out of the economy and the housing market.  I knew in my head that this situation was not the result of Obama’s short term as our leader, rather it was the result of previous administrations’ actions.

My heart didn’t care – the front lawns in my neighborhood were decorated with “For Sale” signs and the people I called neighbors were unemployed.  The hopes I pinned upon Mr. Obama, those hopes that gave him the title of President, took a serious hit as he tried to correct everything at once rather than chip away at the enormous task in front of him.

The mid-year elections further squashed the hope that had been so alive in me as the Republicans made huge gains in Congress and bi-partisanship reached a new level of bitterness.

As this current election season got into full swing, I ached for the hope that I had four years ago.  The last couple months have been an agonizing time as the media has twisted and tangled every comment from every candidate, both Presidential and Vice-Presidential.

For me personally, when I walk through my neighborhood things look much better than they did 2 or 3 years ago…”for sale” signs are at a minimum and houses have residents.  New housing and business construction is moving forward and neighbors are doing home improvements and making large purchases, all of which are fueling the economic recovery.  However, most of us, myself included, are still upside-down, or under-water if you prefer, in our mortgages.

Well folks, the results are in and Mr. Obama has another four years.  To be honest, I am not screaming with joy like I did four years ago, but I am also not disappointed.

What I am feeling is peace.

Our economic recovery is tenuous at best, and I felt strongly, VERY strongly, that a change in the leadership position would set this country back four years as a new leader with new ideas assumed this role with his chosen staff.

Tonight I go to bed feeling more peaceful than I’ve felt in months.  I am not confident or overjoyed, but peaceful in the knowledge that there will be no disruptive “bump” in the road internally or internationally, created by a change in our Presidency.  That as a nation, we are not at the beginning of a new Presidency nor at the end of another, rather we are in the middle of an 8-year term that will hopefully make more strides in the final four years than it made in the first four.