Lab experiments !

Current Mood : Happily weary - with lots to read ! 

The kitchen is finally about as clean as it’s ever gonna get, unless I wanna scale a ladder and start scrubbing the cabinet shelves. I really should, since the doors got taken off for repair years ago, all the dirt, grease, and muck landed right in there, but after what I had to scrape / sweep / scrub off and around the stove top, I find m’self unwilling to jump into another major project this week. I just hope getting it that icky was fun. I’d hate to think all that…mess was there just because no one cleaned up behind himself.

When that was all done, it was trash time. First, I got all the trash out of the ‘alleyway’ between this place and the neighbors’ house. Someone has a habit of sticking semi-full trash cans out there and leaving them in the rain for a few weeks, probably because the pick-up bins tend to fill up fast. That’s why I made the effort to get the alleyway trash out first. No wonder the mosquitoes are so bad here ! Even with the brackish water dumped out, the cans weighed a ton, but I got them emptied, then the empty cans got turned upside down so as not to become rain catchers again. Beloved Hubby trashed all the other bins and plastic boxes that were out there for no apparent reason two months ago, so the alleyway is nearly clean now. We must have the most understanding neighbors on earth !  With that done,  I gathered up all the trash from every room and took it out. This completely filled one bin. Whew ! You know, once we move out, they can probably save a few bucks and go back to just one pick-up bin…

MIL knows we’re moving out next month. Kinda hard to not know when there's two sofas in the living room. She e-mailed Beloved Hubby, asking us not to leave. I feel for her, and she knows we’re not gonna abandon her, but we can’t stay here any longer. I’ve tried to get her to come out and participate more, but you can’t do much when the she prefers to e-mail us instead of talking.

With all that done just before noon, I was still rarin’ to go. The library notified me Saturday that the fourth and final Monster High book was waiting for me, and after making lunch for the crew and grabbing a much-needed shower, I was off. I actually got some time to m’self, since Beloved Hubby was home then, and neither he nor Dearest Son wanted to go.

I found a treasure trove of books in the Free bin this time – a bunch of encyclopedia ‘yearbooks’ from 1969 to 1980. Wow. I claimed eight, but when I went back for the last three, they’d been claimed by someone else. Oh, well. It was kind of funny, though. I’d managed to drag the eight plus several other book sale finds and a couple loaned books out to the car by m’self, but the lady who’d grabbed the three needed help getting them and two other books to her car. Wow. I must be doing pretty well !

I also got rid of several books we didn’t want to keep, including some earlier second-hand purchases from other libraries and yard sales, plus a buncha older Entertainment Weekly magazines I’d found when we cleaned up the Garpartment. Our library system welcomes darn near any contributions for their ongoing book sales.

Once home, I watched cable with Beloved and Dearest, did my online usual, and then it was time for the experiments. I had a cut out and Fray-checked second go-round of Tarja’s jacket bodice / vest ready to go, and I wanted to play a bit with that crystal pleated organza. I'd researched that stuff, and could find no directions on how to sew it. Learn as ya go, always one of your best entertainment values. I cut out a piece with a stain and a diagonal seam and put the rest away – at least if I totally butchered it, it would be on a ‘bad’ spot anyway.

But first, the vest. It fits much better, but my sewing on it is awful. One side is much wider than the other, and you can see every poorly placed stitch, but it may just be one of those things I need to practice and tweak a bit more. It wasn’t until I finished it that I realized I still had the ballpoint needle in KJ, from sewing that ribbing a few days ago ! You’d think I’d have learned to check that by now… At least that explains some of the tension issues.

After I swapped needles, I cut a near random rectangle from the organza, measured out some quarter-inch elastic, and got to it. I still have ‘fun’ (a growly, frustrated kind of fun) sewing with elastic, and this bit looked bad but stitched well. At least I’d remembered to measure a doll’s hips instead of just matching the organza to the elastic. Turned out OK, but I thought it looked better with the elastic covered up by some matching ribbon. Dead Tired DLaura’s wearing that with the ribbing bodysuit / romper I made Monday. They look kinda funky together, but at least now I have some crystal-pleated organza experience under my own elastic belt !

I’m kinda writing vest 2.0, the organza skirt, and the romper all off as ‘lab experiments’, since I can do better, but it was important to do them. Not sure if I’ll keep any of ‘em, even though I’m glad I tried. I wonder if a bit of adjusting will ease out that ‘dent’ in the organza on DLaura’s left side ? And if I don’t use the hem that comes on the organza, what is the best way to hem it – sewing it somehow, or just some Fray-check ? I wonder what would be the right ribbing width to make a *good* romper ? And I wonder if I’ll ever get the shoulders on Tarja’s vest the same size on each side !

But that’s the best thing about experiments. You can learn from ‘em and do ‘em over ‘til you get ‘em right, or just plain give up, ‘cause you learned something else instead !

Oh, my.....

Current Mood : Clean and happy.

Whew ! Well, I’ve nearly reclaimed the kitchen from the mess FIL and Beloved have left it in. Gosh, what a job. Three hours of dishes this week and I’m still not done. I’ll be so glad when it’s our kitchen I have to clean – we don’t eat so much fried food.

I was cleaning up from yesterday’s fun when I had a thought. With careful nurturing, it didn’t die of loneliness, so I’m launching it out into the world. So. Many of Barbie’s  playline ‘designer’ outfits these days come in a single package, with shoes, a purse, and an accessory. The clothes are tacked onto a plastic body shape which is then attached to a cardboard back that hosts a stylized image of the dream girl, with the accessories attached around her. The flat image is shown as sort of ‘modeling’ the outfit. These tend to run about six bucks or so.

In comparison / contrast, the Monster High clothes also come on a clear plastic body, but their clothes are tacked to more of a paper doll  instead of a flat image. It nearly looks three-dimensional, since the paper doll is lifted off the package back, which is dramatically striped, and adds to the eye appeal. MH clothes tend to come with matching shoes, a purse, another fashion accessory, like a belt or jacket, and a prop, sometimes with a trading card. I’ve been able to find all the ones I have for $8. or less.

My question is this – would you prefer less packaging and fewer props if it meant the outfits were cheaper ? Or do you think Barbie’s stuff would sell better if it came with small props that weren’t made of paper ? If everything else was equal – the contents, the availability, etc. – would you prefer to play Barbie prices for MH clothes with less packaging and props, or is the extra couple bucks worth it to you ? I’m curious.  

Me, I like how the MH outfits are presented, and I love the props. I just don’t like how character-centric most of them are. If I could get off my butt and find some confidence, I could probably make a mint off basic black skirts and pants for these dolls. Not to mention the cash for guy-doll clothes. But those things are easy to make, so I’m glad Mattel’s taking more of a fashion risk with the MH line. There’s no way I could make most of those shoes, for one thing ! And I do so love the shoes….

Ahem. Anyway. Not a lot else going on today, but I hope to sew tomorrow. The rest of the kitchen disaster should only take an hour or so !

I think it looks better on Clawdeen !

Current Mood : Real happy. 

Current Image Notes : I love how well this turned out ! Click on it to see it nice and big !

Today, I finally decided. The Barbie Shelf, on My Bookcase of Everything I Enjoy, was crowded to the point of dolls occasionally falling off it. I thought I’d trimmed them down pretty severely during the last move, but I couldn’t deny it anymore. Today was the day I had to play Survivor : Sixth Scale, to find a new home for at least two. Odd, that. I had seven* Barbie dolls as a kid, five in a cabinet in my 20s, about ten to fifteen – which mushroomed to a whopping 217 at one point -  in my 30s, and now, middle of my 40s, I want it down to 20 or 21, so they’d all fit seated on one shelf. That meant at least two had to go, and I knew deep down which two, even though I’d had a long history with all the dolls I still had.  

Thing is, sometimes you can have a long history and good times, and still not like something. Sometimes, even some one. I’m not gonna fool m’self and think my dolls are real or such, but…well…I bought a Matchbox Lisa Hayes doll pretty much as soon as they came out, from a TRU in Augusta, Georgia. Sure, she didn’t much look like the beloved  Macross / Robotech character, but her uniform was close enough for me. And, yes, I loved her box. About a decade later, I overpaid for a Rick Hunter character from the same line, mostly to serve as company for her. Neither were very appealing, but I stuck with them regardless.

Truth be told, I never really liked either. I’ve kept them because I’ve had them so long, not because I really enjoyed them or even appreciated the effort a company that mostly made toy cars put into them. Once I realized that, I knew they had dates with another destiny.

And I also decided against keeping Sailor Pluto. She’s gorgeous, and I still love her lush green hair, but again, I’ve kept her ‘cause she’s rare, not because I have a special affinity for the character or fondness around her at all. Plus, we found her in a box I thought I gave away years ago, after I’d winnowed down my collection for the move. So, at day’s end, Sailor Pluto, Rick Hunter, and Lisa Hayes will be moving on. I’m surprised that I don’t really feel sad about it. I feel more relief than anything else ! I still have plenty of dolls – in all different sizes – to play with and sew for, so it’s all good.

Speaking of sewing, I’m thinking of starting another tutorial. I kind of miss doing those, and I have some energy these days, why not use it to help encourage others to sew their own doll clothes ? Since my efforts to draft patterns from scratch have been a mixed bag at best, I think I’ll start with something that’ll be faster to do, easier to achieve. Perhaps…making patterns from the clothes the doll comes in, without taking said apparel apart ? I know the MH guys can always use more tank shirts and such.

For today, though, I wanted to crack open my last gift from Mother’s Day – I kinda hid it behind Operetta and Toralei’s outfits, but I’d wanted that Barbie outfit ever since I saw it a few weeks prior. Kinda funny, that – I’d seen it and hoped soooo hard it’d still be there when we had funds. I completely forgot that Barbie clothes tend to linger much longer than MH ones. I just knew that purple and that animal print would look fantastic on Clawdeen. Just had to adjust the fit.

And this one was much easier than the other Barbie dress I adapted to fit Frankie. I put it on Clawdeen inside out, pinning it to fit, then drawing over the pins with a chalk pen I got years ago from a Hancock Fabrics closeout section. It took a couple tries with basting stitches before I got it right, then I sewed it again with tiny stitches. Didn’t even have to touch the Velcro ™ in back. Thinking of adding some black sparkle tulle to the hem, to lengthen it, make the pink stand out a little more, and give it a bit of ‘Solo In The Spotlight’ callback.

The purse that came with it is OK – I think DracuLaura would like it more – and the pink studded belt has a BARBIE buckle on the front, but that’s OK. It’s also where the clasp is, so it can easily be rotated to the back. Shoes, of course, aren’t wearable by the ghouls, but I still have 21 sixth scale dolls, eleven of which can use ‘em. It’s funny how they remind me of Spectra’s boots, they’re about the same color.

Speaking of MH/Barbie connections, you probably already know this, but Mattel’s learned quite a bit from how MH was presented. And the webisodes, for better or worse, are a big part of its early success. So now, Barbie has her own short cartoon web series, called Barbie : Life in the Dreamhouse. It’s actually pretty cute. There’s four episodes so far, and I’m hoping it also does well. Here’s a preview, and a link to the site for you !

I also made a simple slip-on ‘between fittings’ romper out of ribbing I had lying around, and when I make a better one, I’ll share. It’s a bit too loose in the top, so I sewed a ribbon to it to cinch it up. Now I wanna make more. I have so much fun, I can’t find the hours for it all !

(*Malibu Barbie, Malibu Ken, Quick Curl Barbie, Quick Curl Skipper, Ballerina Barbie, Growing Up Skipper, and Sweet 16 Barbie. I tend to count Princess Leia as less a childhood doll and more of a transitional one.)

I can see Toralei wavin' goodbye...

Current Mood : Relaxed

Well, last night was interesting ! We had another of the ‘major pieces’ we needed for the new place fall into our laps – a new-to-us sofa ! It’s light brown corduroy, in decent shape, just needs a cleaning and some support added under the cushions, where it’s pretty saggy. But it’s in good shape, and will work for us ! Best part is that it was another curbside find, so it was free. And we got it before it poured down rain all night. Dearest Son was so enamored, he slept on it – on top of a quilt – last night. I can’t help but think we’re moving at the right time, since the Garpartment gets pretty hot, mostly ‘cause the crappy underpowered air conditioner doesn’t work very well. FIL was always monitoring the door between the house and the Garage / Garpartment, and got really upset when it was slightly ajar. Now, if we can just find a good vacuum cleaner and maybe a couple of bookcases between now and next month…

But before that, we decided to run up to our new place, see how noisy it gets on spring/summer weekend nights. Not too bad. There was a small party on the second floor, but we could barely hear it from the parking lot. Depending on what music they like, we could probably hear it inside, but that’s why we all got new headphones ! I’m feeling better and better about things !

So I laughed when we went to the FormerTown Mal-Wart, and got to prowl the Monster High section. They had most of what ours did, just fewer – a Jackson, a Cupid, two Neferas, three Rochelles, one Abbey, and just the one Operetta outfit – with one exception. They had *tons* of Create A Monster sets ! Oh, crud. If they had what I wanted, it’d be soooo hard to walk away from it, and I didn’t think I could…

Luckily, the six packages of CAM sets were the old ones. And not the old ones reissued, nope. These were first-run one-torso sets. What a relief. I mean, I just *got* two new dolls, I’d like to keep my acquisitions down to one or less a month, Mattel ! Of course, I’ve already blown that for 2012 – with Cupid, greyscale Frankie, Rochelle, Jackson, Skull Shores Lagoona and Ghoulia,  and Operetta, I’m already up to July !

Made me wonder, though. With the ‘old’ sets being reissued with two torsos, are the old one-chest sets even gonna sell ? Possibly to non-collectors, I’d think. Or folks who like to have the ‘older first run’ versions. I’m kinda hoping for markdowns, ‘cause I would love some cheap shoes for a change ! (grin)

I also wondered about my own dolls. When had I bought each – and what year did I buy the most ? How many have I given away or put aside for trades ? So today I did a new nose count. In 2010, the year they were first released, I snagged 13 dolls in about six months. And I kept every last one. In 2011, I bought 20 dolls, but have since given away or traded eight, so I only kept 12, a good ‘one a month’ average. But with the shelves getting crowded and the fun just not stopping from Mattel, this year I’ve already bought seven dolls and kept ‘em all. And this doesn’t even count the beds, clothes, and other misc. like ComicCon bags and Valentine’s Day cards. Heck, there’s a little $5. Stationery set right now at Mal-Wart that I want. But I really need to slow down on the dolls…at least until I find that two-guys Create A Monster set !

You know, I whine a lot about Mattel’s distribution, especially last year. But when you can say that, at one point, you had 40 dolls, all bought within two years, and almost all of them were original from the first run, you can’t really say “I can never find anything at my stores !!1!” with a straight face. Most of us eventually find what we want, we just don’t get it as soon as a fortunate few. Of course, all of us want all the goodies at once, so it ends up breeding frustration and a little jealousy. I confess, when I saw Tabitha’s CAM guys lookin’ good in her Flickr Photostream, I was a little jealous. But I know I’ll have mine soon, without driving across half the state, paying too much to scalpers, or annoying sales clerks for a month. Even if I do, it’s my choice to act like a nut, and in no way Mattel’s fault. In the meanwhile, I got stuff to sew, other dolls to play with in three other sizes, and a pretty good life to enjoy. So there’s no point driving m’self crazy over it.

Too bad it took me two years to figure that out, huh ? (grin)

Got a whole Lottie love...

Current Mood : Grateful we don't have a K-Mart...

Whole family came down with upset tummies last night, so we each retreated to solo suffering accompanied by the distraction and comfort of computers, sofas, cable, and books. I knew I’d need a lie-down in bed, so I snagged a favorite book I haven’t read in a year and something that’s been on my mind for a while.

Last time we moved, it was one of those ‘yard sale Saturday, completely moved out by noon Sunday’ deals. We’d been sort of packing off and on the whole time, but got the bulk of it done in less than eight hours. I can see you flinching, because you know that kinda schedule leaves little time for careful packing. Ya end up throwing most of your thousands of worldly goods haphazardly into boxes, and hoping it comes out OK on the other side.  

Of course, my dolls, being non-fragile plastic and vinyl, got this treatment. Most did come through  just fine, but my much-loved Charlotte (Princess and the Frog ) had one side of her hair completely smashed flat. I sighed when I unpacked her, as I’d loved her curls. One of the reasons it was so easy to let go of the Becky set was because both dolls had the same hairdo. Normally I’d keep the brunette, no surprise, but Lottie looked so happy (and actually a little less goofy than Becky !) that she made me smile from the day I found her on a retail shelf. And seeing the second Disney-exclusive doll of her made me really upset that mine got a little damaged. Have you seen that one ? She’s more cross-eyed than Lum ! Nice dress, though – but we’ve all seen more pink, elaborate, and fluffy on yer average Christmas Barbie.

Anyway, as you can guess from this long-winded wind-up that the ‘something’ was Charlotte. I’d had a little success with ‘jailbreaking’ Cupid’s similar style, and was ready to try restoring Lottie’s. Much as I love washing out the spray glue/starch/museum paste Mattel uses to keep hairstyles intact in packaging, some dolls have hair I don’t want to even try to restore after a sink shampoo. I’d discovered that I could brush out Cupid’s curls and they’d spring right back, even free of the product. I’m not sure why I was so surprised, my 1962 Midge still has her original curls, too. I just curl their hair around my finger with the doll brush.

So, when Lottie still looked good this morning, I gave her a bit more of a spa treatment and washed the rest of the spray from her hair. I wanted to keep the high curl and the tulle fluff, so I washed around ‘em. Much better. I don’t feel like I damaged her now, and with that whatever stuff out of her hair, I think she’s better than before. And when we move this time, she and the rest of my fashion dolls are gonna travel standing up in a divided container liquor store box. That I keep on my lap for the drive over. Hmpft.

I admit, I kinda felt somehow unfaithful to the Monster High dolls, but they seemed to understand. Even when I borrowed Cupid’s stand to keep Charlotte on her feet last night. Yes, MH stands can work for Barbie – if you can push the ‘c’ shaped piece down far enough to clamp one thigh. That’s right, MH waists are the size of one Barbie leg.

Today’s been interesting, too – although I mostly did some neglected housework, I still made time to read my various MH doll information sources. Kmart.com (sorry, that site’s so awful, I’m not gonna link it) showed the Roller Maze dolls available, so several fans barreled off to their local stores, or tried the modified in-store pickup thing the website offers. Turned out, the dolls are not available yet (not supposed to be ‘til July, which normally means mid-June, but nearly all the new stuff surfaces in California early), and the ones who successfully placed orders found Dead Tired dolls waiting for them instead. Seems K-Mart uses the same UPCs for both series, and the website reflected that. Made me glad the nearest k-store is over 50 miles away, even though I wouldn’t have gone unless they were less than two miles away. Until they start showing up on eBay with stupid ridiculous prices, MH dolls darn near don’t exist.

Need a soda, Ghoulia ?

Current Mood : Ready to Party ! Who's got the soda ? 

I was barely awake before Beloved Hubby asked me to go with him on a soda run – and we scored a white plastic set of narrow shelves, made by Plano. I’ve seen that name before, usually on tackle or tool boxes. It’s pretty tall ! We could take two off the top as end tables and still have toy shelves for Dearest Son’s room. Or a place to display all my dolls. It’s amazing what we’re finding out on the curbs this week. Despite shoving out a ton of stuff during Spring Cleaning, we didn’t find anything then.

As the heat grew, Beloved wanted to loaf on the sofa, but Dearest and I were getting restless. So we hit some yard sales. Pretty bad. Out of five stops, about all we saw were lots of little-girl clothes and baby stuff, and one was trying to sell bras and bikini swimsuits, along with trademark violation umbrellas, all brand new. Another had eBay printouts under most of their items, perhaps justifying their prices. He found a small Lucite box, probably for office paper clips, but also perfectly sized for Hot Wheels cars. I scored a still packaged set of four cork squares. They’re 12 inches, just right for doll photos or make-your-own bulletin boards. One side had a $2. price sticker, the other side just wanted a dollar. I didn’t see the other side until after I got ‘em home, luckily I saw the $1. sticker. I don’t think I’d have paid two for them.

From there, we went to Target. I confess, I really wanted a big jar of their Zen Garden trail mix, the one with all the tasty rice crackers, but I just couldn’t spend $8. on ‘em right now. I may indulge after the move. Nothing new on the Monster High front either, but I was still happy to see they had something on the shelves. Couple Rochelles, Operettas, and Jacksons, several Neferas, an Abbey, and a Sweet 1600 Clawdeen. Nothing else but dress-up clothes, erasers, and sketch books. I don’t mind telling ya’ll, if it turns out those new Create A Monster sets can make me two complete new guys, it’s mine ! Heck, from what I’ve seen, the older CAM sets are being re-released with two torsos as well. Ya know, I always liked that Sea Monster doll…just didn’t like her with a pink chest and blue arms, legs, and head. Guess our checkbook’s lucky they didn’t have any of ‘em today !

Debated buying a Stardoll outfit set on a slight markdown, but again, I couldn’t bring m’self to shell out $14. for just two pair of MH doll shoes. Dearest seemed to have similar economy issues – he turned down a $3. ‘collector’ Hot Wheels car to instead choose three 89c ones. He enjoyed them all afternoon, racing them around the ‘track’ he created with masking tape on Wednesday’s found desk. We’re livin’ large, baby !

I did find more erasers shaped like miniature food in the Dollar section, and snagged two sets. I’m a total sucker for those, but two corn dogs, a slice of pizza, a burger and fries, and a foot-long hot dog for a buck is irresistible on its own. Being able to take the burgers and hot dogs apart to make Lagoona a ‘kelp burger’ just makes it awesome.

They’d be even more awesome if they looked as good – and were more in scale – like Deborah’s. Her doll food is exquisite. She makes food I don’t even like look good enough to eat, and small enough to fit a dozen in a Sucrets tin ! Check out her store here.

From there, we stopped by PetSmartCo, whichever it is. Since FIL’s fish are mostly still swimming – four out of six ain’t bad ! – we decided to let Dearest choose a new tank resident. We're giving serious consideration to starting a much smaller aquarium of our own in the new place. We carefully looked at them all, and while I’m partial to neon tetras (what can I say, I’m the flashy sort), I really love the Black Molly we got. He (I guess) is stunning, almost completely ebony, fast and a bit playful. He likes to hang out by the filter, and seems to ride the currents from it, at the top of the tank. He also ate quite a bit at feeding time, and his fins seem to be up and healthy. Here’s hoping Brawley (Bro + Molly) is long-lived and enjoying every minute of it. 

And ‘Ghoulia Week’ concludes today with our favorite Classroom zombie. Since she just got something new, I decided a re-pose, with the underskirt showing, would be good. And with all this ‘eraser food’ sitting around, all she needs is a soda, which her Dad is bringing from the kitchen. The ghouls have plans for later tonight, so Ghoulia likes to eat early. TGIF, ya’ll !

Ghoulia rethinks her bright yellow bike...

Current Mood : Silly

Kind of a slower day today. It’s hot as anything since daybreak, so hot we cut each other’s’ hair. We’d all been needing it, and today was a good day for it. Beloved Hubby did most of the cutting – Dearest Son flinches too much for me to do a decent job of it – and I love my new, shorter ‘do. Dearest then went back to playing with the garden hose, which I’d had out to clean trash cans, and that devolved into a front-yard water fight that soaked all three of us. I beat both of ‘em into a shower, though. When my hair gets cut, both ends are sharp and dig in to skin ‘til I get every last cut-off strand down the drain. The ends left on my head somehow smooth out during the night, and aren’t sharp the following day.

By midafternoon, though, we were dry and hot again, so we finally turned the air conditioning on. It’s been off for nearly two weeks. The only other big news of the day was that we finally got the washer to drain completely without flooding the Garpartment. That’s good, ‘cause we gotta save every dime we can for The Move, and not running to the Laundromat will help. I’ll miss the romantic fun of those late-night runs, though.

I got down my Barbie Country Living Home, mostly to just look at it, and see what I’d stored inside. Whew ! I was afraid I’d lost some of this stuff. There was the wheelchair, the window, a white plastic 'wicker' chair, the trash can, and the vintage Barbie 10-speed. So glad I still have all that – plus a table and two chairs in bright orange, and a very fragile thin plastic Barbie bed. Since I couldn’t think of a good photo for my ‘Basic’ Ghoulia, I saved out the bike, and there it is ! Wrote in the Flickr that she’s still saving for the scooter she wants…

Also got the last of the library books turned in. Hope we won’t need more before we move – ever since we lost that one, I’ve been paranoid about losing another.

Oh, and Social Security has ruled that I don’t qualify for disability. Fine with me, it was the hospital and people at the VA who encouraged us to file in the first place. Yeah, I was pretty bad off this time last year (just didn’t know it yet), but I feel so much better now that, if I had been approved for it, I would have either felt horribly guilty for taking it or I would have refused. Feeling guilty all the time and being scared someone’s gonna catch you enjoying your life is no way to live, so I’m gonna take the denial and enjoy it. Since I never got anyone to give us a straight answer on the heart transplant issue, I’m gonna assume I’m no longer up for that, either, and take what I’ve learned so far to…well, to heart ! Besides, I really like having at least one piece of fresh fruit every day. And my kiddy-grade yoga on Wii Fit. And being outside for at least ten minutes a day with Dearest.

What’s kinda strange to me is that I miss my air hose sometimes. Lately, I’ll lie down and start to sigh, thinking I forgot to turn it on and secure the hose when I realize it’s been gone for a week now. While I was headed to the library, I got behind a truck moving some invalid bathing appliances and an oxygen concentrator, and felt an amazing surge of gratitude. I hope that person’s move goes well.