News Flash!!!!!
Yesterday. Big City in West Nowhere.
Regular Unleaded Gasoline: $1.74 a gallon!!!!!
I never thought I'd live long enough to
see it drop below $2.00 a gallon. That is all.
Good things can happen even if they are
just little. Even small victories can taste sweet. But this is a
Very Big Deal for us as we have to drive so much, so often. And as
much as I am not in love with my crappy old car, I am pleased to be
reminded just now that it gets over 30 mpg. ( I'm not so pleased to
report that after all last week's repairs, a headlight has gone
kaputt. The good news is that if this keeps up, I will have
replaced so many parts that it will no longer be an old car. The fun
just never stops. But we are still moving down the road with a few
dollars more in our pockets after a fill up ... and that feels pretty
good this time of year!)
... And in Other News from Nowhere
....
One Major Holiday down, one Major
Holiday to go. I wish you all a Very Happy New Year with lots of
love and thanks to you all for reading my silliness and writing to me
about it. Please go safely and stay out of trouble on this always
boozy holiday. Nothing bums me out more than to see mug shots of my
friends (or worse) on the news.
Reviewing my last year's *New
Year's Aspirations for 2014 ... How'd I do?
I'm no fool. My character is not
upright enough for the staunchness of resolutions. I love a good
challenge as much as the next woman, but I refuse to set myself up
for failure. I can set some priorities, identify improvements that
need to happen, and fantasize how life would be if I actually had my
act together, but if I don't have a lot of stern resolutions to live
up to I do a lot better. Let's take a very quick look at last year's
list, and see how I did.
My Facebook Blog Page:
Well, it's there. I forget most weeks
to even post my own blogs. I'm not much of a FB kind of person.
Redesign website:
Did that! Done.
Find a better way to keep in
touch with bloggy friends.
The idea was to read more and write
less. Stay current. I often don't get around to read everyone's
blogs before I bend to the self-imposed pressure get out my own
weekly post, or even get to respond to all the kind comments from the
previous week. Much of it has to do with my very busy
Wednesday-Sunday schedule. I know we all have limited available
blog-cruising time, and mine is pretty much limited to Mondays and
Tuesdays. I have to really hustle to get a post up so I can join
Visible Monday, and that's when I can do most of my catchup. I did,
however, make my sidebar blogs-I-read list more usable, so I
give myself a very few tiny points for that. Much improvement is
still needed, though, so I persevere.
Try to find some different
backgrounds for photos.
Major Fail. Still working on that.
Get a current avatar that
reflects the changes.
Good news: I'm finally happy with my
haircut. I love my long pixie, and while I don't think it is wildly
flattering or makes me look any younger or slimmer it is, I think, a
more proportional look for me, and it just feels like the most
authentic version of me thus far.
So, I finally made a new Gravatar.
About time, wasn't it?
(These are more about my wardrobe
than the blog...)
Spend more time recombining
(wardrobe) items.
One of the best things all of my bloggy
friends do for me is to inspire me to do this. Like everyone else, I
wear my favorite things a lot, but I've found that I get stuck
putting the same pieces together. All my bloggy buds have taught me
to mix it up, and provide the inspiration for specific new
combinations ... so thank you all for helping me increase my
sartorial mileage!
Renew, recycle, and reuse!
Props to so many of you who have encouraged me to get off my butt and
actually use the few sewing skills I actually own. I've always had
to do the basics, but I was more creative and bold this year because
of your example, bloggy sewing-divas and artists. You know who you
are.
Continue to try to find a decent
resale/consignment shop and actually use it.
I'm crap at this. There just are none
here that work for me. I'll continue to keep scanning my radar for
them, though.
Try it on before you buy it.
Really.
This was the year when I made this rule one of my shopping modus
operandi. I've left so many items behind in the fitting room ... and
saved myself a chunk of change, and more than a little heartbreak and
self-loathing, I know. It's also taught me how favorite brands
usually fit me, and that's a time saver as well.
Love it or leave it.
Putting this into practice has been one of the best habits I've
cultivated this year. It is a huge money saver, of course, but this
year I've really enjoyed combining items that I already love. I'm
embarrassed how long it's taken me to understand that it's a lot
easier and more fun to combine pieces that I really love wearing than
trying to shoehorn in items that are just meh just to get the
good out of them. Duh.
* I haven't
compiled Aspirations for 2015, yet. Stay tuned.
Yes, you just saw this jacket last week. But in the spirit of
closet shopping, wearing the pieces I love the most, and trying new combinations, here it is AGAIN. But with a Missoni for Target dress I haven't worn in some time but love a lot, a Call it Spring messenger that suddenly feels fresh with these Gianni Bini equestrian-esque dress boots.
A better look at the boots ... this is True Boot Love.
They are in my possession because of a non-traditional
collaboration with Santa. But I'm happy.
*****************
Before I conclude this last blog post of 2014, I'll leave you with a
final news item. I've been a bit of a Doris Downer lately, I know,
and this December has not been an easy month to enjoy. In keeping
with that theme, on Saturday night, the son of a dear woman-friend
that we hadn't seen in a while stopped by the restaurant to let us
know his mother was in the hospital, fighting off a desperate and
very frightening illness.
We stopped by the hospital on Sunday afternoon to see her, and you
all know that terrible feeling of worry and anxiety that marks this
kind of hospital visit if you've lived very long. We finally found
her room, but I'm pretty sure you can also identify with the sickening little clutch you feel around your heart when you find the room empty of the
patient you're looking for. We found a nurse, and she solemnly
informed us that my friend had gone downstairs to the chapel. After
a mutual sigh of relief, we then had to decide whether or not to
bother her and invade her privacy there, but we really wanted to see
her, so we headed to the chapel to wait for her to come out.
We found the chapel, and just outside of it we also found a small
crowd of very happy people, laughing and talking and taking
photographs. And there, in the center of the crowd, we found our
friend sitting in a wheel-chair ... in a lovely dress, in full
makeup, clutching a bouquet of flowers, wearing a white veil and a
big smile.
My friend had just married her Significant Other of many years,
surrounded by their families with music and flowers and cake and lots
of joy.
Isn't that just the best, most amazing thing? I'll chalk that up as
one of those rare, sweet, year-end mega-victories I've been looking
for.
*****************
I'm joining the Bubbly and Intoxicating Patti at her year-end edition
of Visible Monday ... where we all go to be much more than just visible!
