Santa List

I'm following Cindy's lead, and putting together my own xmas list here. I really don't have much I want or need, so if you'd rather, I'm very happy with donations to your charity of choice as well.

If I think of anything else, I'll add it to this 'list', so maybe check back in a week or two. So far, the only things I can think of are books, cooking books and baking supplies, and gardening tools. Books, I'll enjoy anything, though fantasy and scifi are always my fav. Cookbooks are great too, and I could use more. Any great cooking or baking supplies are fun, and, as I've just started gardening, I could use some gardening tools too. All of mine are passable, but cheap and will probably break sometime next year. Also, we love spending time with everyone, so a gift of time, or a gift that will make going out or staying in easier or more fun is great too. I'm thinkng gift cards to restaurants, or cafes, or games to play with a group, but feel free to come up with other great ideas.

Of course, it is christmas, and the whole giving gifts idea is less about the things given than the thought behind them, so I will appreciate and treasure anything given me, especially if you think I'll love it. Sure, things I need are great, but so are things you are inspired to give. :) Happy holidays everyone!

Ouch!

Oh wow am I sore today. I hadn't worked in so long, I almost forgot what this felt like....I know I've had much, much worse, but damn! (Or darn if you're easily offended) this hurts. Mostly I just hate how it shortens my range of motion.....

So, you may be asking, Katy, how did you get sore?

I'll tell you: two wheelbarrows worth of pulled crabgrass and an entire compost pile turned are testiments to how much work I did in the garden yesterday. I won't lie, it felt REALLY good to be working my body, and to be gardening in such a quiet and beautiful place. And I know I did good, cause I saved some roses, irises and gladioli who were being suffocated and smothered by nasty grass. >P And then, when I was pooped, after two hours (yay me!) I called Jeremy to pick me up, but he couldn't for another hour.

What to do! I figured, I'll prune the roses, cause they need it, but alas......no pruning shears in the community tools (they like to grow legs.) Hmmm...what to do, what to do....aha! That compost needs turning....so one hour later (that's three hours total for those who are counting) I call him and say, get down here! I am thirsty, starving and TIRED!

But it was fun....and I can't wait to work out these sore muscles on more gardening work after Thanksgiving.

New Paths

Wow, much to tell. I've been so busy I haven't had time to blog, and now Jeremy is home all day and hogging the computer. Arg.

Anyway, I think the big news in my life is that I joined a community garden in North Hollywood, over by Laurel Canyon and Magnolia (its hidden behind the high school) So far, I've just been weeding some neglected rose beds, but its fun. Everyone there is really friendly, kinda like a little family, and they all like to give advice. ;) Its also great cause its organic, so they have this great system for making mulch and compost, and I can't wait till I actually have some goods to show for my fabulous little garden plot.

I've tried gardening at my house, but our sprinklers are screwed up so its impossible to know when the plants have been watered unless I see the plants dying (or check the soil three times a day, but ick, like I'd remember to do that), and then the soil itself is all dead and mostly clay, so its just not worth the work it'd take to get it to real good gardening level. We're just renting and probably moving in a year anyway. So yay easy garden with compost and community already set up!

I also got a handspinning kit with a drop spindle and four colors of wool. I'm so happy with my new toy. I know I'm insane, but I just love making things, and this is something I can do mindlessly (eventually) while I watch movies or something. I've always been kinda facsinated with spinning, and this is a cheap simple way to start. Plus I'm starting to have dreams of the scarf I can make with my own, handspun wool. :D

And finally, I've been feeling so well these last few weeks, that I've decided to start applying for bookkeeping jobs in the area, particularly in companies that work in real estate (so I can learn by osmosis). I have all this energy and staying home is driving me insane, and gardening is only going to take care of so much. So if anyone knows of a company that needs bookkeeping help, let me know!

Yay for new paths!

On a lighter note....

I don't want you all to think life is tough or that I'm in a pissy mood or anything, so here's what the rest of life is like:

AWESOME! My vitamin D supplements are really working well. I'm feeling better every day. AND its become pretty normal for me to be able to stay up past 10 (which was a major feat before....though I love our Thursday night gaming sessions, I learned pretty quick that I had to plan to sleep till 12 on Friday to make up for them) So, yay for a normal schedule! and yay for energy! Now I just have to figure out what to DO with it all! I'm sitting at home going, 'Shit, this is BORING! How did I do this for 18 months?'

And then I realize that the thyroid and pregnenlone hormones are gonna kick in in a few weeks. I am going to be running marathons or something, just to deal with all this energy......well, not really. I'll probably just be normal again, but after feeling so tired all the time, this much energy is a huge change. really amazing. Yay!

That is IT!

So I heard from the student today who flaked yesterday. He left this rambling message about how hard it was to get to my place, eventhough they tried, and how far it was, and how his daughter's didn't realize how far away I was when they scheduled the lesson (though I have record of me telling them the distance through email) and how I should just forgive them cause they are new to the area.

So I'm a forgiving person, at least, I'd like to think so. And I like to be nice to people. In fact, I really hate not being nice, it gets me really upset (which, I realize, makes me even meaner in the moment, but that's not the point). The point is, I can't do this! I can't set up for a student, schedule my day around a lesson, wait for 30 minutes and then get jerked around by someone about how they forgot, or didn't know about my cancellation policy (they all know), or whatever. It makes me not want to teach. Plus, I have a really hard time holding people to my 24 hour cancellation policy. I hate it. I wish people would just be honest and pay instead of fighting me on it ALL the TIME.

So, as of today, all new students must pre-pay to reserve a lesson space, and by Jan. 1, all my students will be doing the same thing. No more freebes! ARG!

Teaching rant number 2

Ok, so I know I already posted today, but I need to rant. Every teacher complains about this, and now I guess I will too. How am I expected to teach a student when they come in every week with a different song, and different things to work on? The work we did the week before barely applies to the new song, and teaching voice is a cummulative effort. You're supposed to build on the lessons learned in previous weeks. I've got one student who, due to her in ordinate number of auditions, gigs, etc. as a child actress, she rarely has the same song twice. I'm amazed that she learns anything at all. Of course, she does, and her parents keep bringing her back, but geez! And I've talked to them twice about how its not helping her and its going to make the process of learning voice longer and harder, but the auditions are important too, and arg! Its just frustrating. I know I can't teach in a perfect world, or in a bubble, oblivious to what's going on in her outside life, and I guess I should just be thankful that she learns as much as she does. She really is improving. I just know it would happen faster if we had one song to work on, at least for a couple of weeks. Sigh.....I guess it just is what it is. She's a good kid, and a fast learner, so maybe it'll work out alright.

Don't flake on your teacher!

Arg! I just hate it when new students flake. I get it, I do. You just scheduled a lesson, and you aren't used to the new routine, so you forget. But seriously! I can be an uber flake and at least I call! So frustrating. I get the house all cleaned up, and prepared, and then wait for no one. Today its not so bad, as I have three other students coming, so I needed to clean anyway. I just didn't have to rush and skip lunch. ARG!!! At least they still have to pay me. I should start taking payment in advance. Then maybe people would remember their lessons.

Insights

Here's a exercise from my friend Cindy. Its fun! Try it out yourself

life would be simpler if... money wasn't such a big deal.
i feel most beautiful... When I'm being held by my husband
the quality i like most about myself... that I don't give up, and, on a good day at least, I can let go of worrying what someone thinks about me and just do my thing
the quality i like least about myself is... on a bad day, when I act like an idiot cause I'm too worried about what someone thinks to do anything, let alone my own thing
something that no one knows about me is... I can get very very sad when I'm alone, and sometimes I just sit and do nothing for hours
something I'm proud of... how much I love to learn new things, and how good I am at it
guiltiest pleasure? television
high road or low road? high
my favorite possession is... not sure. they all rank pretty much the same, as in, not that important. but maybe the fuzzy blanket my friend Maia crocheted for our wedding. Its warm!
when i was little, i wanted to be... on TV (yetch!)
what surprises me most about my adult life is... how scattered and crazy life is, even though I'm supposed to be this totally together and responsible adult. This CAN'T be how my parents lived. (Though of course, they did)
the big decision i'm currently wrestling with is... whether to spend money, save it, donate it, invest it, or some other option I don't knwo about yet, but will feel totally stupid when someone points out how I should have done so and so
my motto is... Just do it. They'll either like what you do, or they won't. Either way, it'll be done.

AMAZING fabulous music

So I just watched "The Holiday"... I SO love Kate Winslet. Cameron Diaz I could do without....she has all of the feigned happiness of her character with none of the depth or sadness. But what I really love, REALLY, was the score. So good....and of course, no surprise who wrote it. I swear, anything he writes I melt over. Hans Zimmer. Action, drama, romance. The man can do no wrong...at least, none that I've heard. Probably because he has an army of writers who can help him out when needed. But since my favorite track was a solo by him, I'll still give him the credit.

I know that part of my reaction is also because I totally needed this music. I can't quite describe what it did, but I just feel more aware and alive than I have in a while. It makes me want to move and dance. Happy. :)

Good news

So I just got back from the Doc, and am vindicated! (though perhaps not as dramatically as one would have thought) Its clear, I have a case of what they call low normal thyroid - basically I'm in the normal range, but low for my age....if I were 55, then I'd be fine....and the other day I was just thinking that Gram and I have the same energy levels.

So that would be ok, easy enough to handle with diet and whatnot, but I also have really high levels of a protien they call Reverse T3 that blocks the T3 hormone from the thyroid from doing anything its supposed to do. Damn you Reverse T3! And I was doing so well!

Next she told me I also have very low levels of Pregnenolone, a precursor to progesterone, and the biggest factor in memory and mental clarity. "I'm sorry....what were you saying?" I'm very happy I can look forward to not being such a ditz in the future. :) (Caution: those expecting big results....don't hold your breath. This stuff takes its time)

And finally, I am to continue on my Progesterone as I am also low in that and must now take massive amounts of Vitamin D, which I'm also low in.

The good news though, is that nothing is so out of whack that its gonna be that hard to fix. Just a few pills, and some extra supplements to support other hormones, but no major treatments or weekly check ups. Also, because I just need some minor adjustments, my doctor figures I'll be off of all this stuff in a year, which is really good for anything thryoid related.

As I said to my dad, all very promising....now if only I felt better. In time, though, I will, and that makes me happy.