Karen

The devil you know: part 2

August 15, 2011 by Karen, posted in education, friends, quest for the best, Someone's gotta say it

I feel obligated to update you all after my first post about buying a new cell phone.

First I went to Radio Shack where I bought a Samsung Flight II. It was a cute phone and I chose it because it was the closest to the one my daughter has (that after a rocky start, I ended up really liking but that they don’t sell anymore). I took it home.

It was a problem from the start. The battery wouldn’t stay charged for more than 12 hours (and that was only if I didn’t use the phone at all!). The nice man at Radio Shack tried to tell me: “That sounds about right.” Huh? Did he really think I was going to believe that?

I decided that maybe it was just a bad battery and exchanged it. That was my second mistake. The new phone was better than the first one, but still terrible. I took it back, got out my old phone and decided to start over. Square one.

I asked a few of my friends what kind of cell phones they had and if they liked them or not. I was very surprised to discover that most people do not like their cell phones. The exceptions to this rule were few, but they did have one thing in common: they all had iphones. I told my son that I was getting a new cell phone and he said, “You might as well get an iphone.”

Well all-righty then. That’s what i did.

Epilogue:

i‘m in love, i‘m in love (with my iphone!) and i don’t care who knows it!

🙂

Spaciousness (or: A Theory of Relativity)

August 14, 2011December 31, 2017 by Karen, posted in book reviews, books, family, friends, health, Midlife Crisis, no fear, relationships, yoga

In the book What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty, she talks about the idea of spacious days.

What a concept!!!!

Mostly, my days feel jam-packed to me, without a moment to spare for anything. That’s how I usually think about them, at least. My to-do list is longer than my arm. I suspect that other mothers feel this way as well, since today I heard my friend Donna (also a mother) say those exact words.

In yoga, spaciousness is sought in your body through postures, in your mind through meditation. I’ve been searching for spaciousness through yoga for 4 years now (I’ll let you know when I find it).

🙂

Four years seems like kind of a long time to me…but as a percentage of my age, it’s not that long really. Could it be that all I really need is an adjustment of perspective?

Back to yoga class: this week, our instructor Kristen happened to mention that there was a period of her life that she would gladly relive, which sparked a conversation among the women in the class on this topic. As some of them mentioned ages that they would be interested in repeating, I did a quick review: high school? No way! Early twenties? No thank you! I soon realized that I couldn’t think of any time period of my life that I would want to live through again, but then I reframed the question: What was a happy memory?

When I asked myself this question, I got a very clear image in my mind. It was in the summer: August 1991. It was in the first apartment that I shared with my husband after we got married. The sun was streaming in through the large windows in the dining room, shining on my infant son, born just a couple of weeks prior. I remember being in that room, gazing at the baby, standing in the sun, and realizing that I’d never been happier than I was at that moment. Twenty years later, I can still stand in that room in my mind’s eye, and still feel that happiness just as strongly as I did that day.

So, I guess time is relative, just ask Einstein. Or Liane Moriarty.

Or me.

🙂

Working from home, week one

August 7, 2011 by Karen, posted in family, friends, Life in the cube, Work from Home, writing

At the end of my first week working from home, I thought I’d reflect a little on how it’s all going. There were several things that I knew would be different, but my days are shaping up to be much different from how I envisioned them. One of my friends said that she was worried that she’d be too isolated if she worked from home, since she lived alone. I never thought for a minute that I would feel that way, but it is sort of an isolated feeling to be sitting in your office alone all day, interacting with no one face to face. I mean. there are certainly people in the house sometimes while I’m “at work”, but I’m not a part of their activity, their day. I am APART.

What I thought I’d be doing once I started working from home:

Exercising more, since I would have more time in the morning (you know, that part of the day before you talk yourself out of exercising?).
Writing more. After all, I would be gaining more than 2 hours a day of not commuting and not getting meals packed and unpacked.
Gaining weight. There is actually some walking involved in getting to and from Portland every day, parking the car, walking from the parking garage, taking a few sets of stairs…that would not be part of working from home.
Seeing my husband and kids more.

What I actually am doing now that I am working from home:

Turns out, I actually am exercising more. It will be 4 (maybe even 5!) days that I’ve done some form of excercise (yoga, beach walk, gym) by Saturday, versus the 1 or 2 days in a commuting week.
Turns out, I’ve actually lost 2 lbs. Go figure.
Turns out, I’m actually writing less. I really don’t have much downtime. I’m getting up later in the morning (which will end of course, when my daughter goes back to school in September) and pretty much going to bed shortly after I finish working at 9PM.
I am seeing my family more, which is good. If I could only be right about one thing, I’m glad it was this one. 🙂

I’m missing a few things: seeing my friends at work, the Wednesday Farmers Market in Monument Square, my audio books, the cupcake stores, Micucci’s pizza…

Pretty much, I’m still working on getting it together here, finding a new rhythm to my days.

Working from home, day one

July 28, 2011July 28, 2011 by Karen, posted in (it's all about the) food, family, Life in the cube, Work from Home

It’s coming together; my office is just about set. All of the equipment has been hauled home and (with the help of the teenager) connected to the modem and everything actually works. What’s left to do is figure out what just does not fit and let it go (read: haul it back out of the house).

Here are some of the good things about working from home so far.

I got more sleep! I was able to get up an hour and fifteen minutes later than I usually do. Yay! Of course, I still woke up at the same time but I rolled over and went back to sleep.
I can wear whatever I want! My daughter said, “Can you wear pajamas to work now if you want to??” and I realized, “Yes! I can! I can wear pajamas now if I want to!”
Things were so much less rushed. My daughter and I actually ate breakfast together this morning, which we usually can’t do because I leave (used to leave!) so early.
I got to eat lunch with my entire family! My son was working the evening shift and my husband and daughter both happened to be home as well. They even cooked for me! (Okay, so I cleaned up; it was so worth it!).
I got to eat dinner with 2 out of 3 of the family members! Okay, so son was at work, but I always got home too late to have supper with them this evening they waited for me and we ate together.
When my shift ended, I was all through for the day! No hour commute to get home (of course, that means I missed an hour with my audio book, but I digress…as my husband pointed out, I can certainly pop it into the CD player in the house and listen to it!).

It was the best (work) day ever!

Menaces in the garden

July 27, 2011July 27, 2011 by Karen, posted in (it's all about the) food, gardening, local fun, no fear, raising chickens, relationships

The garden is doing great. I might have even said amazingly great, if my husband didn’t find the disgusting green tomato destroyers munching on the vines this week. May I just take one moment to say ‘Ew’? They are very hard to see (think Where’s Waldo); hanging on to the stems their gross little legs almost look like little leaves. If you find one, keep looking…there will be others. These yucky little encroachers travel in packs. Check the tomatoes themselves as well; we found teeny tiny little green devils on the underside of some of the cherry tomatoes. The green devil on the green tomato and tomato branches are nearly invisible. They also do not know enough to stick to their own territory. We actually plucked one of them off the eggplants! Talk about adding insult to injury!

Do you have chickens? Well, they need protein. Maybe that will motivate you to put your disgust aside for just one moment to pluck the suckers off of your plants and into your chickens mouths…hey, circle of life, babe. Or, make your husband do it. Do something nice to–I mean, for him later to make it up to him.

🙂

While you’re trolling for protein for your farm animals, don’t forget those equally gross shiny (but not happy) Japanese Beetles. Check the leaves on your berry plants. These guys are brazen. No hiding and blending for them. If they had noses, they’d be thumbing them at you (you know, if they also had thumbs). Show no mercy. The bug traps might catch a few of them, but most likely you will be picking them off and disposing of them to save your plants.

The garden is thriving despite them. At the moment. Here’s hopin’ we can keep ahead of them.

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The devil you know

July 19, 2011July 19, 2011 by Karen, posted in family, friends, no fear, quest for the best, Someone's gotta say it

While I was busy, out living my life, my cell phone was plotting to thwart my happiness. Now, I never loved it to begin with; it was my only option when my beloved pink Motorola Razr phone gave out after we had three lovely years together. So, I never loved it, but I…relied on it. Using it several times every day made it about as integral to my daily routine as is my toothbrush.

Therefore, you can imagine my distress when I noticed a crack to the left of the hinge, followed by a piece of it breaking off about a month ago. I beat down the panic and continued to use it, looking the other way whenever I opened it as best I could. Then yesterday, when I opened up my cell phone to answer a text from my son, there was a sickening cracking noise, that turned out to be the right side of said hinge which now also had a distinct fault line.

For me, buying a new cell phone is on the same par as buying a new car. It gives me a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. It makes me sweat. I avoid it at all costs. As bad as my cracked phone was, I (after more than two years with it) know how it works. Getting a new phone means a new learning curve…the stuff of nightmares. Plus, with cell phones (as with cars)…the one thing you do already know for sure is this: It’ll cost ya.

Oh, were you hoping that the car charger that went with your prior cell phone, also a Samsung, would work with your new one? Were you excited when the store clerk told you that he would check to see if there was any trade in value on your old–emphasis on old– cell phone? Ha! Get real! Your new cell phone is worse than a new car in terms of losing retail value…before the monetary transaction has been completed you have already lost money.

NOTE: About that learning curve: got a tween or a teen? They will both already know how to use your new phone, even though they have never laid eyes on it before…amazing but true.

Why Buy the Cow?

July 12, 2011 by Karen, posted in books, relationships, writing

My proof copy of my book arrived in the mail yesterday. I found it on my kitchen island when I returned home from work around 8:30 last night, in a most undignified place (at the bottom pf the pile of mail). I picked it up and said to my husband (who was standing at the sink with his back to me):

Me: Do you know what this is?

Bill: A book?

Me: Not a book…the book.

Bill: {Blank stare}

Me: My book.

Bill: OooooooooooOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooooOOOOOOOOOOhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh; your book.

Then he turned his attention back to whatever he was doing in the sink.

I started to tear open the cardboard encasing it when a thought stopped me mid-tear.

I worked on this book for about 2 years. It was now about 9pm, I was tired, my husband was distracted…I was not giving my book the respect that it deserved. I stopped.

I’m going to wait until I have an uninterrupted block of time. I’m going to open the package slowly and savor the moment, fully aware that I am about to hold the first book that I wrote myself in my hands.

I can’t wait.

Somethin’ Sweet Bakery in Sanford

July 10, 2011July 23, 2011 by Karen, posted in (it's all about the) food, baking, family, friends, local fun, quest for the best

Maybe it’s Sunday afternoon and 86 degrees and the last thing in the world you want to do is hang around the house with your cranky kids, since you yourself are very cranky. Here’s an idea: throw…er, put the kids in the car and drive over to Somethin’ Sweet Bakery, 883 Main Street Suite 1 in Sanford, next to Get Fired Up.

Jen opens for business Thursday through Saturday from 11:00am to 7:00pm and Sundays from 11:00am to 4:00pm. She may open other days as well; for example last Monday Jen opened for the 4th of July to provide excellent edible support for hungry (for Somethin’ Sweet!) parade go-ers.

Jen has always loved baking and that fact comes through loud and clear to anyone who has been lucky enough to enjoy any of the Whoopie Pies (try the Coffee-filled Chocolate Whoopies! They are amazing!), cookies, brownies, and other treats that you can find at her bakery. She changes up the flavors and items daily but of course, like the ice cream parlors always have vanilla and chocolate on hand, you can always find the old standbys (vanilla and chocolate cupcakes with vanilla frosting for instance) represented at Somethin’ Sweet! Jen is working on the new website for her business (somethinsweetmaine.com), but if you need a focal point for your (sweet) meditation today, check out the picture up there now. . . you will have no trouble sitting for 20 minutes if you are focusing on that.

Speaking of Somethin’ Sweet, the decor of the store, as well as the lovely store owner, are exactly that. Jen mentioned that she is working on some new offerings (this week she made caramel blondies..now that’s what I’m talkin’ about!), so keep coming back and check out what’s in the display case. You can also check out the daily flavors which she posts on Facebook. You may find that, despite the variety of options, your tween will always want the Cookie Dough Cupcake. Let her have it, as long as she stays away from your Chocolate Whoopie Pie with Coffee Filling…

🙂

Jen is taking Somethin’ Sweet on the road tomorrow (Monday, July 11) night. She will be at the Sanford Mainers baseball game at 6:30pm at Goodall Park, Roberts Street in Sanford. Why not eat a light supper then pile the fam in the car for an evening of baseball and baked treats?

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Setting up a home office: the desk arrives

July 7, 2011 by Karen, posted in Work from Home

We got the call that the desk had arrived at the furniture warehouse and was ready to be picked up. They offered one more time to deliver it and assemble it in our home for the low, low price of $75. We had already turned this down once, but on this particular day my husband (who also happened to be the picker upper and assembler) was busy in the garden.
“When can you do it?” he asked the guy. The answer was “Today,” so he said, “Okay, see you soon.”

Well, “soon” turned out to be an hour and a half later, a small truck bearing two men and the two parts of my desk arrived. This in itself was kind of confusing, since the warehouse was only 20 minutes away, but it soon became clear what had taken them so long, After coming in the house to announce their arrival and to see where the desk was going, they went back out to the truck and reappeared carrying the already assembled first half of the desk. Hmmm, recalling that the man had said it would cost $75 (first) to deliver the desk and (then) to assemble it, I naturally assumed he meant assemble it in my home. When the first piece was pushed up against the wall, I decided to just wait and see what happened next.
They disappeared again, then after a loud crash and much whispering, came back with the second half of the desk It soon became evident that something wasn’t right. My husband finally figured out that because they put the desk together elsewhere, they didn’t realize that it was supposed to be a “left return” and not (the more common) “right return” and they put it together backwards.

Long story short, we got a replacement (they fortunately had a correct version in the warehouse) the same day and we didn’t pay the $75 delivery/set up charge (okay, so this last part was my idea~comp for pain and suffering). What was that about anyway? I mean. Sears only charges, what, $30 or $35 dollars to deliver a major appliance and will even take the old one with them when they leave ! Just sayin’.

P.S. I didn’t mean to make them cry!

P.P.S. The loud crash? That was our wreathe that was hanging intact on the front door when they arrived, and was lying in pieces on the coffee table in the living room after they left. They never said a word of apology (or anything else) to either me or my husband about breaking the wreathe…true professionals? Not!

The Donut Hole

July 5, 2011 by Karen, posted in (it's all about the) food, chicks, family, local fun, tweens

: Donut Hole

The Donut Hole ((207) 929-5060) is located in Buxton, ME and is a cute little place with a variety of offerings…all good. I found it one day when my daughter and I were on an errand for my husband: a run to pick up baby chicks at Andy’s Agway, a truly taxing job which required small baked goods be applied liberally post pick up.

My tween daughter and my husband had been to The Donut Hole before without me when they came to Agway on a similar chicken-raising related errand and had enjoyed their purchases very much.

Izzy got ice cream at her last visit, and even though it was only 10:30 am she wanted to order that again, so I said okay. Hey, ice cream has calcium, right?

I, of course, had to order a cupcake (all right, TWO cupcakes~they were too darn pretty to choose just one!) to try them out, as well as an eclair. Izzy and I took them home, cut them in half, and spread the eating of them out over a couple of days. Everything we bought was delicious…including the ice cream (of course she shared a little of her ice cream with me!). They make eclairs two different ways, so be sure to ask the staff what the difference is.
I bet you’re thinking of excuses to run to Agway right about now, huh? 🙂

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