In the tradition of Unfuck Your Habitat I went bananas on our kitchen last weekend. We were getting a new fridge which was bigger than the last one, plus we had acquired several new small appliances in the past several months. So to get the fridge in I had to move the garbage, and to move the garbage I had to move the shelves behind the door, which meant I had to rearrange the porch and move the bench out. To get the deep freeze in (not up yet) I had to move the secretary desk.

To accommodate the pile of appliances and other crap accumulating on our counters I purchased some cupboard and shelf organizers as well.

Here are some highlights!

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Unfucked!!

Also loving the new porch shelves:

And the new fridge vs the old fridge!

I’ve been planning my meals the night before, following Canada’s Food Guide, feeling full and having delicious meals, and losing about a pound a day since last week.

Friday is closing.

Number of rooms I have to pack up: 3.5

Number of boxes I’ve started packing: 0

I’m not panicking.

I had a big project at work today so I wasn’t in and out of my chair as often as I normally would – sitting in one place for eight hours has caused my knees and neck and hands to seize up. Ibuprofen to the rescue! One hopes, at least.

I’ve got about a week left before the summer season opens at Arts North but oh man I can’t focus. I’m all, HOUUUUSE and keep finding myself out buying trivets and dishes and cleaning supplies. Luckily I created large amounts of jewellery before Girls’ Night Out in April. I did manage to make extra earrings and rings, which have historically been my best sellers, so that’s good. I do want to make some more beach glass and coal pieces, and I’d love to be able to get some really original pieces created instead of just production pieces. I just … can’t. 

Oh man. I just remembered that after next week I’m going to have to start packing. I HATE PACKING. 

I’m violently excited about the prospect of a custom-built studio for working in. I’ve got drawings done to scale and everything! It’s going to be both gorgeous and functional. I bought a pile of red/white/teal fabrics for decorating with. 

We’ve been trolling flea markets and used furniture stores but it’s hard to buy for when we’re not technically in yet. We really need to live in it for a little while before we buy real furniture, I think.

And of course now I’m procrastinating by writing in a journal I have ignored for months. 

Laird and I bought this house!!!!!!!

Wait, that’s not enough exclamation points.

HOUSE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

All I’ve done so far in 2009 is complain – I’m sick, I’m sore, I want a house – but I haven’t actually done anything to improve upon my situation.

Change is slow with me.

I did some research into mortgages this week, and actually contacted a mortgage specialist. I wrote down my own monthly expenses and added them up, and got a ballpark figure from Laird for his. Seeing those numbers and reading what little I could find made me realize that I can’t continue on as I have and buy a house any time soon. I am spending more than I reasonably should, and too much of it is coming off my credit card or line of credit for no good reason.

So, I took my chunk of savings and paid it onto my chunk of debt, because the debt was costing more interest than the savings was earning. My savings is seriously depleted but so is the debt, and I have no intention of running it back up.

I’m putting a hold on spending. I don’t need more music from iTunes or more clothes (my new wardrobe is sufficient) or new shoes (enough, already). I don’t need more TV DVDs. I don’t need more blank books or paper supplies or glue or anything, really. I don’t need a DSLR because guess what? I don’t have time to learn the crafts and hobbies I already own the supplies for. Digital photography can be something I make time for in the years to come.

I have everything. I’ve got things everywhere, and no place to even put them. What I don’t have, and what I really want, is a house. So, every time I want to buy something, I’m going to either put that money in my high-yield, tax-free savings account, or buy something specifically for the house, instead.

I have been feeling sick a lot lately and haven’t been eating well, in a circular pattern I’m stopping because I am cutting way down on eating out. 2-3 times a week is far too often, in terms of wrecking my digestive system as well as cutting deeply into my bank account, again for no good reason. It’s not like I can’t cook or don’t like it. I’m lazy. It’s got to stop.

I got my T4 today and did some quick math, adding my jewellery income and figuring out the taxes owed. What with the extra taxes I had the payroll office send off with each pay, I will still owe about $500. But then with my RRSP deductions as well as the deductible for our health plan, I should end up either at zero or even on the gain side when it comes to tax returns this year. My plan to push my jewellery all year to double my income from it might leave me in the lurch for next tax season, however, so I thought to almost double my extra monthly contributions to offset it for next April. But then I had an idea: what if, instead of giving that money directly to the tax man, I put it into my RRSP instead? The end result – needing to pay fewer taxes at the end of the year – should be approximately the same, plus I’ll be contributing towards my retirement fund at a quicker pace. So I think that is my plan there, although I need to speak to my financial advisor about it first.

Change is slow with me. But it’s slower still if I never start.

Everybody knows I’ve got a bad knee. My right knee was twisted when I was a teenager, operated on in my early 20s, and never fully healed. Last November it gave out entirely for some unknown reason.

In addition, my right arm, from neck to fingertips, hurts on a daily basis. 8+ hours of computer use with most of the rest of the day spent making jewellery will do that to a girl.

Which is all fine and normal. Until Monday evening. I got into my car after work and pushed on the little footrest next to the clutch to shove myself upwards – I was rearranging my ass, or straightening my coat? I don’t really know what I was doing. But a screeching lightning bolt shot through my knee. My left knee. I thought I could shake it off so I tried; no go. I had just told a co-worker I’d meet her at the mall. I tried to call her but got no answer. I figured it was no big deal so off I went.

Big mistake.

Every time I shifted, I screamed.

By the time I got to the mall (really just 3 or 4 minutes) I was sooo over the driving thing. Luckily, Laird phoned me on the way and he was AT the mall for a different reason. I got him to meet me… and then drive me home. I left my poor car in the parking lot.

I got home and sat down and cried and cried and cried. 3/4 of my body was now officially broken.

Laird and my parents finally got me calmed down but oh, it was hard. Being broken is something that stresses me out if I think about it too much, so I tend not to think about it – but suddenly I was broken all over.

We called my cousin who is a physiotherapist and she thought it sounded like a pulled or torn ligament. She suggested ice and rest, and probably a doctor’s visit. My dad had an appointment the next day so I called and got in with him.

My amazing doctor listened and poked and prodded and declared a sprained knee, which is a pulled or torn ligament. She prescribed rest, icing, and ibuprofen.

I’ve been home since Tuesday and I’m going mad. Hopefully tomorrow I can make it up the stairs at work (no elevator), at least to the second floor – they’ll be moving my computer down a floor for me.

So now I’m using my grandfather’s cane, limping severely, wrecking my other knee which had been doing well. And of course, the cane is having an impact on my other hand. So my one remaining limb will be destroyed by the time I can walk again.

I’m such a whiner. But Oh man. It hurts.

I’ve been trying so hard lately to get rid of stuff. I have far too many things for one person. Especially one person who only has 2.5 rooms to put them in.

Mom and Dad just tore apart the Media Room (my .5) to fix the plaster walls and ceiling and paint it. It’s a lovely dusky-rose-brown (there’s no name to it – mom bought the paint, got it on the wall, panicked at how dark it was, and mixed in some leftover white and purple from the hallway). I was DETERMINED to not put back everything that was in here, and I think I did a pretty damn good job.

Project DVD: My DVD rack with 150+ movies is now GONE. I took all my movies (minus special boxed sets like Firefly, LotR, etc), bought a CD binder, cut all the covers to fit the CD slots, and transferred everything over.

Project Bookcase: Instead of cramming every last shelf with books, I put up my boxed sets and left room for two pieces of art by local artists. It’s now pretty and makes me happy.

Project Desk: I spent an agonizing hour re-wiring my computer desk area, but the powerbar is now hanging from the back of my desk and there are no wires on the floor. There also are now only three things on my desk: the monitor, the lamp, and five small, useful books with a bookend to hold up the modem and router because they kept falling over.

Project Closet: Mom cleaned out the closet to the degree where Dad could put up shelves. All of my design books plus all of the printer papers (including specialty ones) are now in there. Along with my binder of CDs (a previous project) and my binder of DVDs! I hung up a push-on LED light in there last night and it’s perfect.

Project Shelves: I didn’t put ANY books on the shelves above my desk. I have nearly everything in baskets. My expanding files are labeled and neatly placed. I found a magazine box for $3 and it’s holding loose papers. And I left enough space to put up the red chinese lamp I’ve had dumped in a corner for so long!

Project Filing Cabinet: I actually EMPTIED and REMOVED the filing cabinet that was jammed in the closet. My relevant papers are in the desk drawer; the irrelevant papers are shredded.

I feel lighter. The room definitely looks better (although I still have some debris to clear up today). I have two boxes of things to give away. I found two matured $100 Canada Savings Bonds worth over $160 each at the bottom of a chest. Life is grand!

Despite all that Getting Rid Of Things mantra, I did manage to buy two new things yesterday. I couldn’t help it!

First, a hand-held finger mouse for my Eee PC, which I use mainly while in bed:

It is, unfortunately, pink. Blah. But it works quite well and I don’t have to hurt myself with that freaking trackpad any more!

Second, something I’ve wanted for a long time:

A gorillapod!! I got the wee original one for my tiny Pentax (which fits in an altoid can, by the way! Right now it’s a Runts tin I found at the candy shop in Halifax). I LOVE this thing. As soon as I got it I started attaching it to my steering wheel, the rearview mirror, Laird’s face.. it’s awesome.

When I was seventeen, I twisted my knee. A year or two later, it was scoped and I was in physio. It’s never been well ever since.

Last September/November I was in excruciating pain for about six weeks and could barely walk. I went to a new doctor and had a referral to a different specialist than the first time. The XRay I had a few months ago was inconclusive, so I had an MRI last Wednesday. Yesterday I finally spoke to the orthopedic surgeon about what was wrong and what we’re going to do about it.

The answer to both would be: nothing.

Great.

Well, I can go to physio. I will likely have to do that every day of my life if I’m going to live relatively pain-free. This is basically a lifetime sentence no matter how I look at it. And I am such a bad habit-former I’m worried the sentence is for pain.

To make matters worse, I’ve been doing a lot of research and writing by hand these days, and my shoulder, wrist and fingers are killing me.

And just to add insult to injury, I have an ingrown toenail.

In an attempt to quit with the whining already, I’m off to see Kathy of the IET and Reiki on Monday. I need some centering.

I feel like I want to make jewellery again but I’m not getting the motivation for it. I have ideas and plans and instead I sit on the couch. Today and last night I made a few heart pendants (which sell like crazy, go figure) but my hand is actually killing me, so I’m having trouble doing any more.

I need to sequester myself in with my gemstones and wire and force some productivity, or else the coming season will be a bust. I made a pile of money last year but money just isn’t a great motivator for me. Doing the shows sucked the good out of me, I think. I’m glad I’ll only be doing one this year (OK, maybe two).

I have an amazing project going with my friend Angela, who is a printmaker and bookbinder. We’re making individualized boxes for each of my major neckpieces. The only thing is, between me getting my wisdom teeth out and her making a trip to Halifax and various other schedule conflicts, we haven’t worked on it since the first night, about three or four weeks ago – so that’s in a stall too.

Blah. I’m just blah.