The Great Purge of 2010

On a bit of a cleaning blitz. Yesterday was under the bed and the closet. I've take so many things to Value Village, the apartment feels lighter. Among the cast-offs were several old books I was going to make into shelves, an old VCR (why I carted it here from AZ, I have no idea), clothes, never-played games, cat toys that failed to interest the cats, and my hockey gear. I had held onto my gear because up to this point I couldn't dream of giving it away. I was surprised how easy it was to do this time around. Perhaps I'm just at the point where after dealing with so much junk it doesn't matter how meaningful it is, if it takes up space, and has been unused for over 3 years, it's out. Of course the big benefit has been moving a lot of things from the closet in an orderly manner to under the bed. Meaning the closet is no longer a dangerous mountain of precarious piles, and while the space beneath the bed is packed, it's an organized packed.

Before & After of the bed:













The closet:

















Today I worked on my plants including the indoor ones and my container garden. Pruning, planting, sweeping. I didn't take before pictures, but here's the finished product...







































Next up is the kitchen.

! Siesta de los Gatos !

Los mittens son muy contentos en el bano de mi casa. !Que adorable!

Bountiful Harvest

With my wee container garden, it seems to be a rather wee harvest. Though, I think the weather wasn't exactly on my side. Cilantro is happily growing away, and my tomato is crazy huge, just waiting on the fruit. Now for round 2 of lettuce and green onions. Maybe someday, I will have enough room and enough sun for more than 3 green beans at a time...until then, looks to be a a bit of an eensy, spaced-out feast.

So Long

It seems at last, after years of work (and it has been years), and years of waiting, I am off and running toward that ever-present goal, while not always solidified at least tugging somewhere in the back of my brain, "Erin, this is what you want... this way." I find myself exhilarated by the new changes coming; buzzing with electric, terrified anticipation. But with new beginnings, come endings, and saying goodbye to Third Place Books was very hard for me. At times, I found myself joyful & energized, loved & embraced, and thrilled about new possibilities. But at other moments, there lurked the toxic pull of darker emotions; I felt bereft, broken, mortified, and unsure. Certain never to recover. But new horizons will always emerge, and tonight's outlook appears slightly more cheerful.

-Strengthening friendships both old and new can't help but lift the spirits.
-Physical challenges, while immense and frightening, invigorate me and spur me on.
-An interminable transition period finally comes to a close, and I feel a freedom; an exhalation of a long-held of breath

So, while I may be sad to be moving on and saying goodbye to dear friends and coworkers; and I may be frightened of what next comes 'round the bend; it is these other empowering forces that drive me on, and leave me with a light heart and clear head.

Ice Cold Beverage Economics

Driving down 65th today, we chanced upon a handwritten, poster for lemonade. You know, one of those little driveway operations little kids get up to. Carrie awwwed for a split second before gasping, "ONE DOLLAR!?!... Effing inflation." High-larious.

High-lights

I think I can with confidence begin to report on the quailty of high-lighter brands. I would have to say, the Zebra brand Zazzle high-lighter far surpasses the Sharpie Re-tractable, or the Papermate Intro. I high-light...a lot.

Mark suggests instead of high-lighting, I black out the parts I find unimportant. I'll consider it Mark.

Moonlighting

Just in case you don't know, I spend most of my blogging time over at Third Place Blog nowadays...here is what I think constitutes some of my better work...

We got a new author events podium yesterday...and wouldn't you know it, as soon as it was put together Stuffed Toy Horse King just had to make a speech about it.

That's right people, they pay me for this...and guess who put that podium together? You guessed it! Yours truly. Also guess who initiated the Stuffed Toy Horse King Prank. That's right...they pay me...actual money.

KRAKEN!

My most recent film effort (for those of you not friends with Third Place), I guess this is my directorial debut!
That's Steve releasing the Kraken, Jason with special effects, and Mike as the frightened citizen...I'm camerawoman.

Study Hall

The cats have really taken a liking to this studying business...Momma's Boy, Brody especially. I think it might be the extended amounts of time that I'm around now, or the stillness while I'm home. There isn't a lot of movement or cleaning or vacuuming, just lots of sitting and reading and typing. While I lay on the bed, or at my desk, or on the couch; the cats are there trying to jump in my lap or sit on my books. They are a welcome distraction. Here is Brody attacking my pen. I charge him with adorableness in the first degree!

Just Two Things

Of the many, Many, MANY things I have crammed into my brain in the past 3 weeks, one thing sticks out as being the most sanity securing idea ever...
Pick two things that you enjoy that you want to continue doing during law school, and continue doing them.

When I first read that I thought, don't be ridiculous, I'll have time for more than two things. Um...further reflection leads me to say, no, not so much the case. I'm not speaking in hyperbole when I say I have put more effort into the last three weeks than I did my entire freshman year of undergrad. I'm not sure if that's depressing or simply a testament to my seriousness about this lawyering thing. In any case, it's a lot of work, and this is just one class.

But even with just one class, I realize the importance of balance. Are we seeing a bit of a coincidence with my self-professed year of balance? (while not widely reported on, a huge success on most accounts)... I spent the entire first half of this year working on balancing myself to get ready for this "adventure", and I'll be damned if I give up on it now. The last three weeks may have careened wildly out of control but I chalk that unbalance up to, working & school, out-of-town visitors, and basic terror. I've got three more weeks of class, and then three weeks of freedom before it starts for real. I plan to get the equilibrium back.

And based on what little I have learned at this point, I say that one of the things I'm not giving up...reading...I will continue to read for pleasure. There's not going to be a lot of pleasure reading, but there are few things in the world that bring me as much joy as reading, and I think giving it up would be a severe detriment to my sanity.

The other thing I am not giving up is a little more intangible. Me... I'm not giving up myself.

These last few years; in Seattle especially, I feel like I've really come into my own. I know who I am, what I want, what I like, and what I don't. Maybe it's cheating, because there are a lot of things I can roll into the idea of not giving up myself, but I'm gonna try. Using the balance I have tried to perfect in the past few months, I will not give up juggling, knitting, puns, Battlestar Galactica, playing with the cats, blogging, cooking, laughing, running, friends, journaling, trying to garden, James McAvoy, discussing Harry Potter, naps...I will not give up the things that make me, me.

Sounds like a tall order? Well, if all goes as planned, you'll be able to mark my success in future blogs.