2013. The year my friends (and I) will be turning 30. That means we're adults now, right?
Sure.
But, um, when will it *feel* like we're adults?
I've wondered this for a long time. I thought the feeling of adulthood would come when I graduated university. When I got married. When I moved out of my parents' house. When I got a job. When I got a house. When I got a car. When I had a baby.
I mean, these are all clearly things that *adults* do and have, right??
Yet here I am, at age 29, still feeling ... well, not really like an adult.
But 30 is approaching. Have I missed an important step? I've been giving it a lot of thought.
I posted several years ago about Ikea furniture vs. real furniture, and wondering at what point in life people make the switch. Guess what? I'm there. Didn't even really notice, because it was a gradual transition. But I'm now at the point in my life where I'd rather have a nice, hefty piece of "real" furniture than a cool, build-it-yourself piece from Ikea. (Side note - don't get me wrong - I still love Ikea: I spent FOUR GLORIOUS HOURS combing the Ottawa Ikea this past summer with my best friend, both of us dreaming of owning so many of the cool and amazing things there)
So maybe adulthood isn't a "yesterday you weren't, today you are" condition, like graduating, moving out, getting married, having a baby, etc. Maybe adulthood is a journey, an accumulation of responsible habits. Outgrowing the need to be told what to do and just doing it of your own accord because you know it needs to be done. (Note: I don't actually have all of these mastered, but I sure am working on them!)
Grocery shopping for healthy food instead of frozen pizzas and egg rolls
Keeping a spare can of gas in the shed for your snowblower
Putting rubber mats in your car in the winter to save damage to your regular mats
Washing the dishes regularly
Keeping track of and paying all your bills on time
Taking out your shovels before the first snow of the year, putting them away when winter is fully over
Washing the dirt and grime off of your house siding
Mowing the lawn before you have a backyard jungle
Refilling the ice tray
Keeping your steps nicely shovelled / salted
Getting enough sleep
Painting / staining your steps / deck every year or two
Never missing a garbage day
Flipping / rotating your mattress every time you change your sheets
Cleaning the bathroom before the grime appears
Having spare lightbulbs in the closet
Being able to make supper out of random ingredients you find in your fridge
Taking care of your body / going to the doctor for yearly checkups
...and, truly, the list goes on and on.
I look at my neighbours across the street. They're in the almost-retired age bracket, and they seem to have it all figured out. Of course, I juge this by the fact that they have a nicely-tended yard, their Christmas lights get put up and taken down at appropriate times of the year (as opposed to ours, which have never been put up. The first year in our house, we bought the lights. The second year, we bought the clips for the siding.... we just had our 5th Christmas in this house :( Someday... someday we'll get those lights up for Christmas!), their driveway is always one of the first to be snowblown (and Mr. often comes over to help us out with our driveway, he's so generous and on the ball), they never miss a garbage or recycling day... I wonder how long it took them to achieve this perfection? I'm tempted to ask them. But probably won't. It's exactly the kind of inappropriate question I used to ask in my youth but like to think I know better than to ask now, now matter how curious I am.
So what makes someone an "adult"? What's on your list of "adult" behaviours / habits?
Saturday, February 9, 2013
Saturday, April 3, 2010
Rainbow Twinchie collage
My first ever craft-related blog post! (Please forgive the boring layout... I'm so very new at this!)
For the past several weeks, I have been working on a Rainbow Twinchie collage and it is now completed!!
I was inspired by this photo by swanlady21 on Flickr. Ever since I saw her collage, I couldn't get out of my head how much I wanted to make one of my own! I started by going through all of my papers and cardstock and choosing papers that more or less matched the colours of swanlady21's project. Most of my choices were plain cardstock, but some were patterned paper and some were textured paper. I started by looking through my enormous pile of scraps. Then I arranged all the papers in the order that they would go on the collage:
After the pieces were all in order and tagged with a number, I cut them all into 2"x2" pieces. I kept the leftover pieces in a box so that I'd have them in case I messed up a square and needed to start over - this happened just twice, but it saved me having to go back through all my scraps to try and find the piece I needed!
I noticed that swanlady21 had put each coloured sqaure on a slightly larger black square, so I did the same thing. My black squares are 2.25"x2.25", which gives an 1/8" border around each coloured square. These are all mounted onto a plain white 12"x12" piece of cardstock:
After everything was cut and put in order, I went through ALL of my embellishments: sequins, ribbons, buttons, gems, random stuff I've collected over the years - EVERYTHING! I saw this as my opportunity to make good use of my ridiculous and eclectic stash of craft stuff. (A large portion of my craft supplies are things I've collected over the years - bits and pieces of this and that that I would never be able to find again. Many of them are not the greatest quality (dollar store purchases from my early crafting days), so I tend not to use them and they just sit there and cause me guilt whenever I'm at the store, contemplating buying some new (and nicer quality) embellishments!) As I went through all my embellishments, I pulled any piece that matched a square. I wasn't thinking of anything specific for the squares yet, I just pulled everything that matched so that I'd have lots of options when I got around to the fun part of creating.
One of my current crafting goals is to use stamps that I've loved and bought and catalogued, but never gotten around to actually using. I'm very proud to say that with this collage, I used 52 different stamps - 40 of which had never been used :)
I didn't create the squares in any particular order, but it was important to me that each square be its own little thing - a microcosm, I guess. I tried to keep each square as monochromatic as possible. I also wanted there to be variety in the overall work - I tried not to put the same embellishment types on adjacent squares.
Here are close-ups of all the squares, and a list of any HeroArts stamps used (and maybe some other info that I think might be of interest). I've numbered the squares 1-25, going from left to right and top to bottom:
1) This is just a textured piece of paper from a big bag of scraps I bought. I highlighted different parts of the pattern with markers and stickles.
2) Patterned scrapbook paper, with some pearls (BasicGrey) and ribbon.
3) Regular cardstock, dry embossed with a Fiskars texture plate, sprayed with perfect pearls and then 2 little star embellishments glued on.
6) The unicorn stamp is from Nikoart on etsy.com (she has many lovely stamps!). The frame is a stamp I fell in love with four years ago while shopping at a Michaels store during a road trip and bought full price, but just never seemed to be able to find a use for (until now!). Both images are embossed with "psychedelic" embossing powder, which is very sparkly.
7) Pig stamp is from School Animals (LP120). The square stickers are from a dollar store and have been languishing at the bottom of my embellishment drawer for seven years.
8) Sentiment is a Studio G stamp, the flower stamp was a dollar store find, and I covered the flower heads with sequins and put a gem in the center of each.
11) All stamps are Studio G. The envelopes are coloured with a very light purple colour because after I stamped them and cut them out, I realized that the cardstock I'd chosen was the wrong shade of pink! The sentiment is stamped on a piece of foam left over from my craft time as a child (as are all foam pieces in this collage) - we're talking about an embellishment I've been holding on to for close to 20 years!
12) Ribbon from my very large stash of scraps. Flower is coloured with Prismacolor pencils, the stamp is by The Artful Stamper.
13) Sentiment is Studio G
16) Two different flower stamps used, both by BasicGrey. On foam piece: flower outlined with purple Spica marker, dots are Elmer's 3D glue, purple gem in the center of the flower.
17) Dots and flowers (S5213) - quite easily my favourite design block! Stamped with versamark, clear embossed, dots highlighted with stickles and 3D glue.
18) Background is Flourish Trio (H5261) - quickly becoming a go-to stamp for me! Butterfly sequins are from the dollar store, pearls are BasicGrey. Sentiment is from Oceans of Joy (CL372)
21) Owl is from Nikoart. Vines are from the LL199 set, leaves are highlighted with a Spica marker for a bit of sparkle. Sentiment is from Birds and Branches set (LP134)
22) I LOVE this design block (Poinsettia and Birds, S5068) :) Pearls are BasicGrey. Image is coloured with Prismacolor pencils.
23) Both stamps are from the Happy Everything set (CL066). Coloured with Prismacolor pencils.
4) Fiskars corner punch, stickles, dollar store butterfly sequin.
5) Bird is BasicGrey, coloured with Prismacolor pencils. HeroArts stamps: CL218, CL110. The bird's wing is an earring that lost its post ages ago... It was so pretty that I couldn't bear to part with it and knew that one day I would find some use for it :)
9) I think the flower was once a barrette adornment... I found it on the ground 18 years ago, thought it was pretty, picked it up and cleaned it off, and have been waiting for a reason to use it ever since. Flower stem is BasicGrey. Flower pot origin is unknown. Sentiment is from All Occasion Messages (CL272). And, of course, the lovely Clouds design block (S5215).
10) For the ribbon, I tried to do the scrunchy ribbon trick I've seen on a few people's cards, but couldn't pull it off. So I cheated and used little bits of double-sided tape to get the effect I wanted ;) Stamps used: LP120, CL396, CL155, CL218.
14) Sentiment is Studio G. Stars are from various HeroArts sets (CL155, CL318, CL110). Foam star was coloured with a Spica marker. Gems are from a HeroArts Sparkle Clear set.
15) Dollar store sequins, sentiment is Studio G, Raindrop Background design block (S5101)
19) Heart stamp is Studio G, sentiment and banana are CL396
20) Sentiments are BasicGrey and Studio G, Flower stem is BasicGrey.
24) Chick with balloon is Stampendous!, with orange flocking for his feathers. The balloon is coloured with a Spica marker and then coated with a layer of Glossy Accents. Sentiment is from Thinking of You Messages (CL140). Flowers and leaf are from All Occasion Messages (CL272), and the ground is from the A Muse Essential Ovals set.
25) Background is the Flourish Trio (H5261), sentiment and mini flourish are from All Occasion Messages (CL272). The hearts are made out of Fimo and the little heart punch in the bottom corner is a Fiskars punch.
Here is a picture of my little masterpiece's place of honour:
I get to see it every time I go into my craft room (on the right)... and it makes me smile :)
...Thanks for looking! Hope you're also inspired to make your own rainbow twinchie collage :)
Thursday, January 1, 2009
Resolutions
It's that time of year. The beginning time of the year. When everyone seems to take stock of their lives. Or maybe that's not popular anymore - the whole "new year's resolution" thing... I gave it up for a while. What was the point? Making grand plans for a fresh start, a big change... only to fall off the wagon a few days or weeks later and wallow in guilt for a while, as the cliché goes... There's an episode of Will & Grace, when Grace vows to change - to be someone she's not so that some guy will like her. Will, grumpily, claims over and over: no one ever changes. After the usual misadventures caused by Grace trying to prove him wrong, she finally concedes: no one ever changes.
It's true.
Except, it's not.
People do change, but rarely as a result of hastily made new year's resolutions. It's got to be a gradual thing. You have to take baby steps. For the past 2 or 3 years, I haven't bothered with resolutions. And I suppose you could say I didn't bother this year either. But I *did* make some goals. Some realistic and attainable goals. And after I set those goals, I detailed some actions that would help me to reach those goals. And I wrote them down. And I plan on looking at them throughout the year. The trick is to keep it realistic. Start with the outrageous 10-year goal, and then work backwards. Anyone who looked at my goals for this year would probably think "that's not so hard" - but that's the point. All of my goals are just out of my reach, but if I keep reaching, the changes will get easier and hopefully become natural, eventually. Like pilates - you keep working on those positions and eventually you can reach your toes without wanting to scream in agony ...at least, that's what I've heard ;)
But it's got to be gradual. People don't change overnight. Well, not usually. And now I'm just rambling and probably being quite boring... but what I'm trying to say is that if the new year has you mesmerized and making grand plans to change all your bad habits just take a step back and reassess. I wish you luck on your path to self-improvement. The secret, I've discovered, is baby steps.
It's true.
Except, it's not.
People do change, but rarely as a result of hastily made new year's resolutions. It's got to be a gradual thing. You have to take baby steps. For the past 2 or 3 years, I haven't bothered with resolutions. And I suppose you could say I didn't bother this year either. But I *did* make some goals. Some realistic and attainable goals. And after I set those goals, I detailed some actions that would help me to reach those goals. And I wrote them down. And I plan on looking at them throughout the year. The trick is to keep it realistic. Start with the outrageous 10-year goal, and then work backwards. Anyone who looked at my goals for this year would probably think "that's not so hard" - but that's the point. All of my goals are just out of my reach, but if I keep reaching, the changes will get easier and hopefully become natural, eventually. Like pilates - you keep working on those positions and eventually you can reach your toes without wanting to scream in agony ...at least, that's what I've heard ;)
But it's got to be gradual. People don't change overnight. Well, not usually. And now I'm just rambling and probably being quite boring... but what I'm trying to say is that if the new year has you mesmerized and making grand plans to change all your bad habits just take a step back and reassess. I wish you luck on your path to self-improvement. The secret, I've discovered, is baby steps.
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
LED Christmas lights rant
I would like to rant for a few minutes against the evil plague more commonly known as “LED Christmas lights”.
Christmas is a time of joy. A time of happiness. A time of plenty. A time of friends and family.
Christmas is NOT a time of scrimping and saving. It is NOT a time of eating healthy and staying true to your diet. It is NOT a time of environmental friendliness. (Ok, for some people it is, but don’t argue with me right now)
So why, may I ask, were LED Christmas lights invented? Are they brighter than regular lights? No. Are they cheerier than regular lights? No. Do they have more festive colours than regular lights? No. In no way do LED "Christmas" lights enhance the experience of joy and cheer that regular Christmas lights were created to do.
It’s like someone asking for shortbread and being handed instead a saltine cracker.
As I ride along in the bus, with my re-usable lunch bag and tupperware containers in hand (note the references to my environmentally-conscious behaviour), I am saddened by all the houses glumly strung with LED lights. My eyes strain to see their light - they give off a sort of anti-light. They’re certainly not bright or cheerful. They don’t illuminate anything within 1/4 of an inch from their bulbs.
Why were these abominations created?!? If you just answered, “to be environmentally friendly,” imagine me giving you a death glare.
Christmas is not about being environmentally friendly. It’s not. Everyone in the world is (or pretends to be) environmentally friendly these days. Everyone pretends to be health-conscious, too. And we pretend to be fiscally responsible. Great. Wonderful - save the world with your reformed ways. But leave Christmas alone. It’s bad enough we’ve got people ragging on the fact that Christmas stuff is available as of November 1st. Sure, it’s a bit early. But in every other time of life, being ahead of the game is considered a good thing. If it bothers you that much, stop spending so much time at the mall.
First it’s LED anti-Christmas non-lights. Next thing you know, it will be shortbread made with margarine and splenda and egg nog made with whites only and skim milk. Then gifts will be sitting under the tree wrapped not in colourful paper, but in articles of clothing stolen from the laundry hamper. And after that, gifts won’t be given at all. Everyone will just present you with something they stole from your room and tell you that you don’t deserve gifts because you already have too much stuff.
If you want to ruin a holiday, ruin Halloween. I don’t see LED *halloween* lights. I don’t see sugar-free, fat-free candy being given out to trick-or-treaters. I don’t see people re-using the same costume over and over to save on wasted fabric.
Save the Christmas spirit!
Save Christmas cheer!
Don't use LED anti-Christmas non-lights!!
Thank you.
Christmas is a time of joy. A time of happiness. A time of plenty. A time of friends and family.
Christmas is NOT a time of scrimping and saving. It is NOT a time of eating healthy and staying true to your diet. It is NOT a time of environmental friendliness. (Ok, for some people it is, but don’t argue with me right now)
So why, may I ask, were LED Christmas lights invented? Are they brighter than regular lights? No. Are they cheerier than regular lights? No. Do they have more festive colours than regular lights? No. In no way do LED "Christmas" lights enhance the experience of joy and cheer that regular Christmas lights were created to do.
It’s like someone asking for shortbread and being handed instead a saltine cracker.
As I ride along in the bus, with my re-usable lunch bag and tupperware containers in hand (note the references to my environmentally-conscious behaviour), I am saddened by all the houses glumly strung with LED lights. My eyes strain to see their light - they give off a sort of anti-light. They’re certainly not bright or cheerful. They don’t illuminate anything within 1/4 of an inch from their bulbs.
Why were these abominations created?!? If you just answered, “to be environmentally friendly,” imagine me giving you a death glare.
Christmas is not about being environmentally friendly. It’s not. Everyone in the world is (or pretends to be) environmentally friendly these days. Everyone pretends to be health-conscious, too. And we pretend to be fiscally responsible. Great. Wonderful - save the world with your reformed ways. But leave Christmas alone. It’s bad enough we’ve got people ragging on the fact that Christmas stuff is available as of November 1st. Sure, it’s a bit early. But in every other time of life, being ahead of the game is considered a good thing. If it bothers you that much, stop spending so much time at the mall.
First it’s LED anti-Christmas non-lights. Next thing you know, it will be shortbread made with margarine and splenda and egg nog made with whites only and skim milk. Then gifts will be sitting under the tree wrapped not in colourful paper, but in articles of clothing stolen from the laundry hamper. And after that, gifts won’t be given at all. Everyone will just present you with something they stole from your room and tell you that you don’t deserve gifts because you already have too much stuff.
If you want to ruin a holiday, ruin Halloween. I don’t see LED *halloween* lights. I don’t see sugar-free, fat-free candy being given out to trick-or-treaters. I don’t see people re-using the same costume over and over to save on wasted fabric.
Save the Christmas spirit!
Save Christmas cheer!
Don't use LED anti-Christmas non-lights!!
Thank you.
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Drivers are dummies
Oops... I meant "Driving for dummies"
It's common knowledge that everyone thinks that they are the only good driver on the road. It's common knowledge that road rage is a serious problem in many places. I saw a book in Coles the other day called "Why we drive the way we do" or something like that - it looked interesting but I didn't have time to read a bit about it. But it got me thinking: it's about time someone discussed in detail the way people drive. It's crazy. I know I'm repeating myself, but here's the truth: everyone has something to say about the way other people drive. Is everyone right? Are we all bad drivers? Are we all unaware of our own driving habits? For several weeks, I have thought to myself every time I got into a car (either as a passenger or as the driver) "Man, I need to write a blog post about how to drive properly" and so now I am. I'm not talking about Young Drivers stuff, I'm talking about real life on the road stuff.
Request #1) I'm not psychic. USE YOUR TURN SIGNAL. Please :) Why should you use your turn signal? Why does it even matter? Well, I won't get frustrated with you for turning right if I know in advance that you are turning right. I will probably get frustrated with you when you slow down suddenly and for no apparent reason and then turn right (or worse, slow down suddenly for no apparent reason and then AS you are turning, flick your turn signal on for 0.04 seconds). In my opinion, turn signals should blink at least 3 times before you turn, but not more than 15 times. If you pass 4 streets while your turn signal is on, I won't believe you anymore. It's like the children's story: "The Driver Who Cried "Turn" ". This request applies turning and also to lane changing. When you lane change, your turn signal may or may not turn off automatically after you have successfully completed your lane change. Once you are in the desired lane, you should turn your turn signal off. Otherwise, how do I know whether you're trying to change lanes or just being too lazy to give a flick to the turn signal arm? This leads to request #2...
Request #2) If you're going, go! If you signal that you would like to turn or change lanes, and the way seems to be clear and I've given a sign that I'm letting you in or I've left some space for you, then GO! Don't make me regret the decision to let you in. "Hesitant" and "safe" are not synonyms on the road. "Safe" means you evaluate your risk and don't drive recklessly and take all reasonable precautions. "Hesitant" means you put your blinker on and I let you go but rather than taking that chance, you just sit there for a few seconds to make sure it's really ok. But since you've hesitated, I may figure that you don't want to turn / change lanes or that you've changed your mind, so I'll rescind my offer. If you're an unsafe driver, you will choose this precise moment to go, even though it is no longer safe to do so. Be aware of your surroundings - don't turn your blinker on and then do something else. If you're trying to change lanes, that's where your focus should be. I've lost track of how many times people have signaled that they want to get into my lane, but I won't give them an inch because I can't make eye contact with them or signal to them that I'm letting them in. I'm not going to spend 20 seconds trying to get your attention so that I can be nice and let you in. Why not? Because that's a message to you that it's ok to be inattentive, and it's also inconsiderate of the driver behind me. That leads me to request #3...
Request #3) Remember that there are people behind you. When you stop suddenly, when you don't put your turn signal on, when you let people into the lane who aren't paying attention and who you have to wait for - you are affecting other people besides yourself. Maybe this point will be lost on many people. Maybe that's why drivers are so terrible. So many people are only interested in themselves. Well, that's not the way it should be, so stop.
Request #4) Pay attention. This seems like a foolish request, but it's necessary. Especially at red lights. I know, I know - waiting at red lights is boring. But they don't stay red forever. Flashing greens come after red lights and they don't last very long at all. Every second of a flashing green is precious. On more than one occassion, I have missed a flashing green because someone wasn't paying attention. We're not talking 40 seconds of wasted time, we're talking 5 seconds of wasted time. Well, 5 seconds of time that the other driver wasted. More like 2 minutes of wasted time for me, waiting at that darn red light. Grr.
Request #5) DON'T BLOCK THE INTERSECTION! This should really be request #very important, not request #5. This request ties in with request #3 (be aware that there are other people on the road) and my request that you be aware of your surroundings. If you are approaching an intersection, and your light is green, that doesn't mean you can go through. If you aren't assured of getting all the way through the intersection, don't even enter it. If traffic is backed up on the other side of the intersection, don't go. Wait, green or no green. I mean, most people say "hey, it's green, I'm getting out of here" and they just go. Or maybe you figured the intersection would clear and the traffic on the other side would get moving before the light turned red and you were suddenly in the way of the people who now have a green light. But sometimes it doesn't work out how you think. If you can't clear the intersection, then stop at the stop line, as if you had a red. If things clear up and you still have a green, go for it! But if not, please please please, don't.
Funny / unbelievable story: I was a pedestrian, waiting at the corner of an intersection to cross the road. Traffic was a bit heavy and was backed up to the crosswalk. This lady came through the intersection and had to stop in front of the crosswalk (while in the intersection) because of the traffic. Her light turned red while she was in the intersection. She was now holding up cars going the other way who were trying to go through their green light. Traffic in front of her cleared up, but rather than go through and clear the intersection for the other drivers, she waved to me to cross the street!!! I was a mixture of incredulous, indignant, and embarassed! I waved furiously at her to get the frig out of the intersection and hid my face from the other drivers, embarassed to be associated with this crazy intersection-blocking, pedestrian-friendly driver. Shocking.
That's all I have time for at the moment, I'm sure other requests will come to me later, but to summarize:
1 - Use your turn signal
2 - If you're going, go!
3 - Remember that there are people on the road
4 - Pay attention to your surroundings
5 - Don't block the intersection
Thank you. I wish you all happy and safe driving :)
It's common knowledge that everyone thinks that they are the only good driver on the road. It's common knowledge that road rage is a serious problem in many places. I saw a book in Coles the other day called "Why we drive the way we do" or something like that - it looked interesting but I didn't have time to read a bit about it. But it got me thinking: it's about time someone discussed in detail the way people drive. It's crazy. I know I'm repeating myself, but here's the truth: everyone has something to say about the way other people drive. Is everyone right? Are we all bad drivers? Are we all unaware of our own driving habits? For several weeks, I have thought to myself every time I got into a car (either as a passenger or as the driver) "Man, I need to write a blog post about how to drive properly" and so now I am. I'm not talking about Young Drivers stuff, I'm talking about real life on the road stuff.
Request #1) I'm not psychic. USE YOUR TURN SIGNAL. Please :) Why should you use your turn signal? Why does it even matter? Well, I won't get frustrated with you for turning right if I know in advance that you are turning right. I will probably get frustrated with you when you slow down suddenly and for no apparent reason and then turn right (or worse, slow down suddenly for no apparent reason and then AS you are turning, flick your turn signal on for 0.04 seconds). In my opinion, turn signals should blink at least 3 times before you turn, but not more than 15 times. If you pass 4 streets while your turn signal is on, I won't believe you anymore. It's like the children's story: "The Driver Who Cried "Turn" ". This request applies turning and also to lane changing. When you lane change, your turn signal may or may not turn off automatically after you have successfully completed your lane change. Once you are in the desired lane, you should turn your turn signal off. Otherwise, how do I know whether you're trying to change lanes or just being too lazy to give a flick to the turn signal arm? This leads to request #2...
Request #2) If you're going, go! If you signal that you would like to turn or change lanes, and the way seems to be clear and I've given a sign that I'm letting you in or I've left some space for you, then GO! Don't make me regret the decision to let you in. "Hesitant" and "safe" are not synonyms on the road. "Safe" means you evaluate your risk and don't drive recklessly and take all reasonable precautions. "Hesitant" means you put your blinker on and I let you go but rather than taking that chance, you just sit there for a few seconds to make sure it's really ok. But since you've hesitated, I may figure that you don't want to turn / change lanes or that you've changed your mind, so I'll rescind my offer. If you're an unsafe driver, you will choose this precise moment to go, even though it is no longer safe to do so. Be aware of your surroundings - don't turn your blinker on and then do something else. If you're trying to change lanes, that's where your focus should be. I've lost track of how many times people have signaled that they want to get into my lane, but I won't give them an inch because I can't make eye contact with them or signal to them that I'm letting them in. I'm not going to spend 20 seconds trying to get your attention so that I can be nice and let you in. Why not? Because that's a message to you that it's ok to be inattentive, and it's also inconsiderate of the driver behind me. That leads me to request #3...
Request #3) Remember that there are people behind you. When you stop suddenly, when you don't put your turn signal on, when you let people into the lane who aren't paying attention and who you have to wait for - you are affecting other people besides yourself. Maybe this point will be lost on many people. Maybe that's why drivers are so terrible. So many people are only interested in themselves. Well, that's not the way it should be, so stop.
Request #4) Pay attention. This seems like a foolish request, but it's necessary. Especially at red lights. I know, I know - waiting at red lights is boring. But they don't stay red forever. Flashing greens come after red lights and they don't last very long at all. Every second of a flashing green is precious. On more than one occassion, I have missed a flashing green because someone wasn't paying attention. We're not talking 40 seconds of wasted time, we're talking 5 seconds of wasted time. Well, 5 seconds of time that the other driver wasted. More like 2 minutes of wasted time for me, waiting at that darn red light. Grr.
Request #5) DON'T BLOCK THE INTERSECTION! This should really be request #very important, not request #5. This request ties in with request #3 (be aware that there are other people on the road) and my request that you be aware of your surroundings. If you are approaching an intersection, and your light is green, that doesn't mean you can go through. If you aren't assured of getting all the way through the intersection, don't even enter it. If traffic is backed up on the other side of the intersection, don't go. Wait, green or no green. I mean, most people say "hey, it's green, I'm getting out of here" and they just go. Or maybe you figured the intersection would clear and the traffic on the other side would get moving before the light turned red and you were suddenly in the way of the people who now have a green light. But sometimes it doesn't work out how you think. If you can't clear the intersection, then stop at the stop line, as if you had a red. If things clear up and you still have a green, go for it! But if not, please please please, don't.
Funny / unbelievable story: I was a pedestrian, waiting at the corner of an intersection to cross the road. Traffic was a bit heavy and was backed up to the crosswalk. This lady came through the intersection and had to stop in front of the crosswalk (while in the intersection) because of the traffic. Her light turned red while she was in the intersection. She was now holding up cars going the other way who were trying to go through their green light. Traffic in front of her cleared up, but rather than go through and clear the intersection for the other drivers, she waved to me to cross the street!!! I was a mixture of incredulous, indignant, and embarassed! I waved furiously at her to get the frig out of the intersection and hid my face from the other drivers, embarassed to be associated with this crazy intersection-blocking, pedestrian-friendly driver. Shocking.
That's all I have time for at the moment, I'm sure other requests will come to me later, but to summarize:
1 - Use your turn signal
2 - If you're going, go!
3 - Remember that there are people on the road
4 - Pay attention to your surroundings
5 - Don't block the intersection
Thank you. I wish you all happy and safe driving :)
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
La pénurie
"Pénurie" is the French word for "shortage". I find that throughout my life, there has always been a shortage of bookcases. It seems that no matter how many I have (well, I've only ever had one, if that) I always need or want another. When I watch movies where there are bookcases, or built-ins, or home libraries... I feel such a longing. Because bookcases aren't just for books. They're also for binders, decorative things, pretty storage boxes... they're incredibly functional, which I find very attractive. I wonder if it is possible to have enough bookcases. I'm not saying that i have so much crap I'll never be able to store it all, I'm just saying that they're so beautiful, could you ever get enough of them? At this point in my life, I don't think I could.
Friday, December 7, 2007
The evolution of interior decorating
As I go about my daily activities, I find that I notice and admire other people's houses and apartments. My place is nice, but I find myself wanting someplace a bit bigger so that I can have a real bed with a pretty bedspread and two bedside tables with lamps and alarm clocks and books to read before going to sleep. Maybe even a journal with a nice pen. And a front hall so I can have a little table with a runner and a vase of flowers. And a dining room that I can paint and wallpaper.
Right now, we have a lot of Ikea furniture. That's not a bad thing, but I notice it's a very young thing. And the more I see of other people's houses, the more I wonder: how do people learn how to decorate their houses? You can almost tell a person's age just by looking at their house. Do we just naturally evolve as we gain life experience? When you're very young, you put posters all over your bedroom wall. Then you get your own place and you buy very basic furniture. I know tons of people my age with Ikea houses - every room fully furnished by Ikea (well, those of us who are lucky enough to live near an Ikea) and then I know many people older than me with no Ikea furniture whatsoever.
Since I haven't reached that point yet, I ask you: at what point do you make the transition from particle board furniture you assemble yourself to solid wood and varnish? Maybe it's just something you grow into (or out of), like craving fruit as a snack (or no longer wanting chocolate bars for supper). It's just something that occurred to me and has piqued my interest. I'm looking forward to owning real furniture and a real house and having different colored rooms and pictures on the walls. I guess growing up can be fun :)
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