KirstenL4W

That’s how old I am now. Most people don’t believe me when I tell them that, which is really flattering but annoying all the same. I don’t feel like I should be 35. I feel 29 or 30 at the most. Thirty-five just sounds . . . so OLD. That’s not me. I’m not old. I don’t even feel old unless my 15 year old nephew, bless his 6′2″ beanpole little heart, asks me if they had computers when I was in school. He asked ME that, not my husband who was also included in the conversation, who is a few years older than I am. He asked his hip, cool aunty that. Punk.

So, birthdays. I just had one. I’ve had really crappy ones in the past. One involved misunderstandings and the loss of a friendship. Another one saw me listening to a message on my answering machine in which I was dumped by my boyfriend of 5 months. Fast forward oh, a few years or so, and now the friendship has been repaired and is thriving. The ex-bf, on the other hand, is not enjoying the karmic kick in the nuts he got by what he did to me. He contacts me from time to time on IM, and it’s clear that his personal life, while showing some promise back then, is not where he’d like it to be. But that’s his problem. My issue, the one of not caring much for my birthday because of crap that happened years ago, is over. All because of my wonderful husband.

I’m not the kind of person who will ask for much, which frustrates the shit out of him. (Hush up, Mommy.) The way I see it, I have pretty much everything I need and want, and therefore have a hard time coming up with gift lists when someone asks. Other times I have a hard time replacing a perfectly good object just because there’s a new and better one available. That’s the frugal part of me. So anyway, my husband gets annoyed that I just don’t want stuff. But in another conversation earlier in the week, I showed him a headboard from IKEA that I thought would work well in our bedroom, since the wall behind our bed is a huge, tall empty wall. He liked it and wondered when we would have time to go, since the nearest IKEA is a 4 hour drive. I suggested that since I had planned late days during the week, I’d be able to leave early on Friday and we can run down there. So we did. I got out of work early yesterday and we jumped in the truck to IKEA. We were also supposed to have dinner with a friend who lives in the area, but she had to take a raincheck because she felt a bit under the weather (nice pun, eh?). So it was just IKEA and back.

This was one of those things that makes me fall more and more in love with Mister. That he thinks so highly of me that he would drive 4 hours to a store and let me loose to shop to my heart’s content, and that he tells me it was worth it because it made me happy. I always think that it’s my job to make him happy, so to be with someone who wants me to be as happy as I make him is just so sappy sweet and my eyes are starting to tear up just writing this.

I don’t feel as old as my age says I should feel. But I certainly feel loved.

Some people have the misconception of me that I am a good, church-going person who would never do anything to offend anyone. That’s mostly true. I try to stay out of trouble, and have thus far succeeded. I do try to attend church on a regular basis. And I don’t like offending anyone. What I do like, however, is offensive humor.

I love the movie Borat. There’s ROFLMAO as an expression, then there’s actually rolling on the floor laughing my ass off. That’s what Mister and I did during the hotel scene. I laughed so hard that I thought I was going to barf. This movie managed to offend pretty much everyone - nothing was off limits. That’s what I loved about it. You can’t be too serious if you hope to enjoy this movie.

Clerks 2 was another one that’s on my list of movies to buy. It starts off much like the first movie, with Dante and Randall going to work, this time at a fast food restaurant. The scene that got me was the over-the-top going away party that Randall planned for Dante. To this day, every once in awhile Mister will declare “I miss my donkey.” So inappropriate, yet too funny.

I love the tv show Mythbusters. It’s a very popular show, sure, but I don’t watch it to see myths get busted or even for the science of it. I watch it because they blow shit up. Yep, I like watching explosions on tv. And I love how, when trying to get bigger results, they resort to the motto “If it’s worth doing, it’s worth overdoing.” Hee hee. Oh, and Zac, if you happen to be reading this right now, I just made this whole paragraph up. I’m telling you this for the safety of your entire neighborhood - there’s no such thing as a tv show where they blow stuff up. You don’t need cable. Really.

Top Gear is another great show. I’m not a car geek at all, even though my dad owns a garage and has some classic vehicles in his collection. I don’t watch it to find out which loud, shouty car is tops on their list. I watch it for the challenges. They’ve used real cars to play soccer. They’ve run an Indy-style race using camper vans. They’ve made their own stretch limos from average, everyday cars. They tried to turn a Fiat into a rocketship and launch it into space (they failed and blew a big hole into the Northumberland countryside). And they’ve turned cars into amphibious vehicles and actually succeeded in getting one of them to cross the English Channel. The challenges and all the crashes they include are what keeps me watching that show.

Oh, shit, I almost forgot. I like to swear.

Remember how I used to participate in CD mix exchanges all the time? How I used to do Music on Mondays posts? How I used to have a whole page on my blog dedicated to music but but took it down because it never got updated? The point is, I like music. I take it personally much in the same way that John Cusack’s character does in High Fidelity, though I don’t have quite the collection that he does. I’d even go so far as to say that listening to music is a hobby of mine.

I listen to my iPod at work most of the time to avoid the deafening silence of paper being shuffled for 8 hours a day. I always keep CDs in my car because commercial radio more or less sucks. But it’s been a long time since I’ve gone out and explored new music. If the birthday fairy brings me some iTunes gift cards so I have $ to spend at the store there, I can quench my appetite for that. (My birthday is this coming Friday, btw.) I brought my iPod home this weekend to update it, which hasn’t been done for months, and I bought some headphones this weekend so that my process of picking music for my iPod doesn’t drive Mister crazy, and I can listen to my music without interfering with Mister’s music.

Did you know that amazon.com has free music in their MP3 store? So does last.fm. I’m listening to Pandora right now, which could be an option for work, except that I find it a bit too interactive for when I’m supposed to be working.

Since I have the new headphones, another project I’ve been working on is uploading all the CDs that I got from mix exchanges. I’ve gotten so behind on that, and I really need to get it all in because I’ve found so much great music from those exchanges. If I had time, I’d participate in more exchanges, but I barely have time to blog anymore, so spending hours obsessing over my collection for that perfect mix just isn’t in my schedule. But I do miss them. I was rereading the “liner notes” I created for those mixes the other night. I usually include the reasons I chose the songs with the song list, which is something I always like getting when I receive mixes.

So, armed with my new headphones, I’m going to spend some time today revamping my listen-at-work mix for the iPod and uploading some CDs. Besides the mixes, I only have maybe 1/4 of my personal collection uploaded. Here’s to music!

Everyone talks about being “green” these days and what we can do to help save the planet. I saw some great suggestions on Blissfully Domestic, but there are a number of reasons why I can’t follow these particular suggestions. Here are the suggestions, followed by my comments (in italics).

1. Plant a garden. The average American meal travels about 1500 miles to get to your table. You will cut out a lot of carbon by growing some of your own food. It will also be fresher and better for you and your wallet. I live in the desert. My backyard “landscaping” as installed by the builder is a bunch of rocks - not even a variety of different rocks. All the same rocks. Oh, and the HOA won’t allow water features or irrigation to be installed.

2. Get a rain barrel. Rain barrels save water that runs off you of roof so that you can use it to water your plants. I could put a barrel in the yard, but it would be filled with dust. And cobwebs. That’s how often it rains here.

3. When spring cleaning use natural cleaning products or better yet make your own! I spotted a bottle of Simple Green under the sink the other day. I’ll have to use some of that. But mostly, to avoid using harsh chemicals when cleaning, I just avoid cleaning.

4. When planting flowers go with native plants. They will do better in your climate. Native plants here are sagebrush, which isn’t much to look at and turns into tumbleweed when it doesn’t rain for a year. I’ll stick with the all rock look, thanks.

5. When feeding your native plants and food garden use TerraCycle’s plant food. It’s all natural and will help your plants thrive. No need to feed tumbleweed. It does just fine on its own.

6. To keep bugs away from your other plants, plant marigolds. See above comments about plants. As for bugs, there’s just a few spiders in the backyard. And one out front by my garage.

7. Spring is a wonderful time to check the farmers markets in your area. You will not only get wonderful fresh local food, you will also be helping to support your local farmers. If there are farmers markets in the area, they won’t be local. Everything will be shipped in from California, just like at the grocery store.

8. To keep your family safe from bug bites use EcoSMART’s organic bug spray. I just avoid the resident spiders, because they can kill.

9. EcoSMART also sells bug sprays to spray around your home to keep the bugs out of your house. I don’t have bugs in the house, but sweeping and vacuuming from time to time helps keep them away.

10. With the weather getting better ditch your car and walk when you can. You will not only reduce your impact but get some good exercise. The good weather came and went. That lasts about 2 weeks here. It’s now summer. Yes, I’d lose weight if I walked, but I’d also be so sweaty and stinky they’d ban me from the office.

Sure, my answers might seem like they are in jest, but there are a lot of suggestions out there that just can’t work for everyone. I would love to plant my own garden or even just be able to shop at a farmers market with real local produce. Back where I grew up, there were farm stands all over the place that people flocked to like flies on poo when anything was in season. I also went to high school in a town that was known for the apple orchards. But that stuff just doesn’t grow with no rain, water restrictions and 110 degree heat (45C to those of you who prefer Celcius).

I also don’t like harsh chemicals. I don’t like things to smell like chemicals, and my hands crack and dry from mild hand soap, so it’s not too great on my skin either. My house *is* clean, though not always as clean as I’d like it to be because I’m busy and don’t always have time for that. But I don’t go for chemically sanitary.

And the car. Everyone has to talk about the car. Take the bus instead, they say. Sure, I wish I could spend less on fuel. Who doesn’t? But I go through about 1 tank of gas about every 2 weeks in my compact car. I drive back and forth to work, go to church, and to Target every few weeks. I grocery shop on my way home from work, at a place that is on the way home. And while my husband has a big old truck, we almost never drive it, because he’s not going out during the day when I’m at work. At most, he has to go out maybe once or twice a week, but that doesn’t happen every week. If he hasn’t been out in awhile, we will take the truck out to ensure that it still runs after sitting out in the blazing hot sun. But there’s another side to this story - while the truck isn’t fuel efficient by any means, it’s cheap. It’s paid for and is in decent shape. It has high mileage but keeps going just fine with routine maintenance, which doesn’t cost any more than my car. But why don’t I take the bus instead? Because it would take me over an hour to get to work, when I can drive there in 10-15 minutes. My time is more valuable than the money I would save on gas or the feel-good feeling I would get by not driving. I would have to leave the house before 6am in order to make it to work on time, instead of 6:45 like now. I wouldn’t get home until 5:30-6pm, and that doesn’t include any shopping I need to do. Today I did grocery shopping and was still home by 5:30. Oh, and in this weather, I’d shower a lot more and have way more laundry to do. In this parched landscape that I live in, it’s not worth it. I choose being frugal over being green here.

So I will continue to drive to work, look at the boring rocks in my backyard, avoid cleaning my house, and staying away from spiders, all in my effort to help save the planet.

About a year and a half ago, I wrote about how I was joining the WW cult because it’s offered at my work at a discount. I did great at first, lost some steam as things went on, then had to quit going to meetings because a project I was working on went live and sucked ALL my time. Well, things are a little steadier these days, and it’s being offered again, so I’m going to try again.

I’m still struggling with the extra weight, but I have made a few changes. I now drink almost no soda - diet or otherwise. I’m too cheap to buy it at home, and cost reductions at work mean it’s not free anymore. I’m on all water, with the occasional single-serve Crystal Light for some flavor, and if I really need a caffeine fix I have to drag my butt down to the cafeteria to hit up the vending machines. Also, I am so much more familiar with my comfort zone. I rarely overeat any more. I still have a ways to go in cutting out the sweets at work. I seem to go nuts at work with sugary snacks, but I still have Christmas candy on my desk at home. Go figure. I also need to make more of an effort to exercise more. We have a treadmill in the living room, and it faces the tv, but I rarely use it because I can come up with a whole bunch of excuses for that.

I’m getting tired of not having much of a wardrobe. I’m not a total clothes horse by any means, but at this size, I hate shopping. Nothing looks good, and I barely have enough clothing to make it 10 days. I do have a whole closet full of clothes that I love and actually look good on a slimmed-down me. I kept them because I really like them, I am determined to fit in them again, and because clothes are expensive. At least I won’t have to run out to buy new pants when the current ones fail to stay up.

I’m also tired of not having much energy. I am so much more out of shape than I was when I was out of shape 20lbs ago. I have a desk job, which doesn’t help, but I get winded climbing the stairs. I don’t like that feeling, so something needs to be done about that.

On the good side, like I said before I am very familiar with my comfort zone, so overeating is not usually an issue. Also, I am nearly 10lbs lighter than I was when I first weighed in at WW in January 2008, and most of that weight loss has been in the last 6-8 months. My weight no longer starts with a 2! That’s a good thing, and I hope to keep it going and get down to my ideal weight sometime before I turn 80.

Now please excuse me while I *ahem* try to convince my husband that he is going to do this diet too. Right now he keeps whispering sweet nothings in my ear and it sounds a lot like “Cold Stone.”

My sister, being blonde, is often the butt of many blonde jokes. But we don’t tell these jokes or make fun of her just because she’s blonde. Oh no. Very often, all she has to do is open her mouth and she walks into it every time.

A few years ago, a friend of mine was visiting me from Toronto. We had been to The World’s Biggest Bookstore when I was there (the same bookstore from the movie Short Circuit 2) and I was eager to take him to Barnes & Noble, which had recently opened in my area. My friend had also told me that I shouldn’t make so much fun of my sister, because she probably doesn’t deserve it and I was being hard on her just because we’re related. I tried to tell him, no, you don’t understand, she really IS like that. But he wouldn’t hear of it.

We went to B&N, sat in the comfy chairs and got a snack in the cafe. When we returned to my house, my sister was there, eager to make friendly and intelligent conversation. Here’s how it went down:

Sis (upon seeing the B&N bags): What did you buy?

Me: Books.

Sis: What kind of books?

Me (trying to get rid of her): The kind you read.

Now, I think the next question she asked was meant to try and have an intelligent conversation about the subject matter of the newly purchased books. But the way it came out killed all chances at a conversation along with anyone’s misconception that my sister is intelligent.

Sis: But what’s, like, the meaning of books?

My friend ran up the stairs laughing so hard that he was going to pee his pants. I know, because I heard the bathroom door slam. I just stared at my sister with a blank yet disbelieving look on my face. She didn’t understand our reactions, and there was no way I could explain it to her.

To be fair, my sister isn’t dumb. She is capable of learning and can cook a chicken much better than I can. This phase she was going through, being socially incapable of intelligent conversation, lasted until she was about 30, but she’s over it now. Mostly.

Once upon a time, I wanted to be an interior designer. This was way before the organizing thing. I’d say I was in my teens when I started showing an interest. Once I outgrew the teen celebrity magazines (BOP, anyone?), I moved on to home magazines. I couldn’t do the normal teen girl thing and go for fashion mags. Nope, I was happier looking at houses instead of clothes and makeup.

This is apparent in my choice of stores when I go shopping, or at least window shopping. It’s no struggle to get me into a Bed Bath N Beyond, but clothes shopping is another beast entirely. Not a fan of clothes shopping, definitely a fan of ogling pretty house things.

When I started college, I naturally chose a program in interior design. I pored through my textbook, eagerly went to class, and as many college freshman do, drank myself into oblivion. Needless to say, I didn’t do too well that semester, and a combination of a holier than thou attitude and avoidance of failure led me to change my major a few times before ending up with a degree in liberal studies and a lovely career in retail - not even in a home store! I was on my way to . . . what exactly I wasn’t sure.

Fast forward about a decade. I had just arrived in Las Vegas and was planning my new life, trying to figure out how to make friends and influence people in my new home. I did get myself a job, part time, and decided to take a class or two in order to meet people. While I was looking over the course catalog at the community college here, I decided to take up Interior Design studies again. I enjoyed the classes I took, and suffered through a few core classes that I didn’t want to take but had to if I wanted a degree (not all of my credits transferred from my old school). I liked studying design again. But this time, real life got in the way. By now I had a full time job, and a lot of the classes I was going to need weren’t always offered at times convenient for me, and my job wasn’t flexible enough to take a few hours out of the day two or three times a week so that I could attend class. Sigh. Enjoyable course of study thwarted again, this time due to forces beyond my control.

I haven’t picked up studying design again. I haven’t picked up studying anything again, despite my declaration that I wanted to go back to school to study accounting. There’s a lot of reasons for that, but mostly I don’t feel ready and eager to go back to school at this point. But don’t get me wrong. Just because I’m not interested in studying interior design doesn’t mean that I’m just not interested in it. Far from it. I spend far more than I should on magazines (which is still far less than I used to spend on them). I wander around home stores looking at all the eye candy they have. I watch as much HGTV as I can get away with. And of course, thanks to modern technology, I eagerly some great home blogs. Here are some of my favorites:

Young House Love - John and Sherry showcase their awesome house and give lots of fabulous and cost effective tips along they way. They also feature the homes of their fans and offer spot-on design advice.

Chez Larsson - Because it’s in Sweden. And because it’s a great look into the light and bright Swedish look without feeling like you’re in IKEA.

Hooked on Houses - This is pure house porn. Houses from real estate listings, movie and TV houses, tiny houses, retro houses, and all sorts of other house stuff will keep you on this site for hours.

Decor8 - This blog features lots of ideas you always knew you wanted but didn’t think existed. Another site to get lost in for hours.

Real Simple: Simply Stated - All the great tips and ideas for your home and beyond that you love from Real Simple Magazine, in blog form.

Making it Lovely - Lovely home pics from the gal behind the awesome stationery at Pink Loves Brown. What I wouldn’t do for a built in dining room hutch like hers!

Design Happens - If you watch HGTV and read blogs, then you absolutely must read this blog. ‘Nuff said.

Go ahead and check those blogs out, but before you do, tell me about your favorite design and decor blogs. I’d love to find new ideas to drool over!