Friday Five De-cluttering Re-cluttering

Jan posted this apt for me FF:

"Since posting about decluttering, I am still muttering about the need for it in my house. How about you?"

Well about me and my beloved, we're in the finish line of the beach palace, weekend place, other home whatever. So we're slowly taking things out there. Consequently our apartment looks like a Tornado blew through!

1. What things do you like to hang on to?

Books, not the beach reads, but the ones that I collect the ones that mean something. Add to that the wall that divides the 'bedroom' from the living room is a bookcase wall.

2. What is hard to let go of?

See above. Also letters and such from the days when we still wrote letters. Remember that? Also photographs and since I was an art major my first time around what I have left from that.

3. What is easy to give away?

"Beach/Subway books, clothing, stuff we never use. We donate.

4. Is there any kind of stumbling block connected with cleaning out?

Transportation. We have a car that is currently residing with the Beach Palace.

5. What do you like to collect, hoard, or admire?

See 1.

Bonus: Tell us about recycling or whatever you can think of that goes along with this muttering about cluttering.

I hate to wash the leftover soda cans, and various plastic items that are made to make our lives easier.

Stressed Out

Even thinking about writing about it stresses me out and makes my stomach turn over. I think I've mentioned my work in this blog, but now that I've unlinked from FB, I think I can say a little more. I've been working on my house renovation with Beloved since February and even with contractors (2) it's been really hard-like a second full time job. Well my job has become like a job and a half.

I'm a senior counselor, with a unit of 7 counselors that I supervise. About a year and a half ago a good friend from my old office was transferred to my new office as the office manager (head of the office.) Rather than taking things slowly and seeing the lay of the land and getting to know people, she immediately started changing things and alienated 90% of the staff and I'm getting close. She also initiated practices "internal controls" that have turned my job into what feels like a clerk. I'm a licensed mental health counselor and a certified rehabilitation counselor and I spend a good part of time at the computer finalizing my counselors work. I Should be working with counselors, teaching, analyzing, helping etc. Supervising. Doing supervision. But who has the time. Add to this, since we're a government agency, with the draconian changes, we have more hearings (when the client is unhappy and wants to take their unhappiness to a higher level with a judge) than ever before, so our new manager, I'll call her manager is busy preparing for them which makes her nuts. And she in turn makes us nuts because the counselor and the senior counselor have to prepare all of the paperwork and participate in the hearing . I have on coming up when I get back from vacation.

Since she's my friend, I've tried to talk to her about this and sometimes when she doesn't get defensive, she seems to get it, she seems to understand. But the next day, she does the same things making changes to my unit without consulting me and micromanaging.

Both unions are filing grievances against her.

I've developed physical problems which I'm sure are stress related and I'm really tired all the time. Fortunately I have a week off next week but all I can think of is it's just a week and then I have to come back.

FRIDAY FIVE Love the One You're With

Progress

KathrynZJ posted this most interesting Friday Five:

"And so I ask you to please name five things you like about where you are living now... and as your bonus - 1 thing you don't like."

Since we're Renovating the beach palace in a place about 50 miles from here on the Island of Long in the County of Nassau I have a few current ideas:

1. In my current locations, great restaurants- new place, haven't found them.

2. Here, bookstores, new place, you have to drive to one, none in town.

3. Here you can walk to places, many places, there not so much...

4. Both places you can dial out for dinner!!

5. There we have the ocean!

Bonus-The suffocating humidity seems less at the beach, usually. In NYC really bad.

Friday Five Pets or Not

Jan posted this furry FF:

1. Did you grow up with pets?

I grew up in the midwest-Ohio-near the country. Walking to school, we passed a feed store, no really. My friend Trudy and I would go in and ooh and ahh over the baby chicks and ducks every season.

I had dogs, turtles (from the 5 and dime-my mother stepped on one once-she thought it was a checker and was horrified to discover what she had done!) Two of those ducks-who weren't so cute once they grew up. Trudy got two too. Her eastern european parents ate one when it got too annoying-eeew! I also had fish periodically and of course we had a chicken coop, but we didn't consider them pets. Oh, yes I also had a white rat, the rescue from medical testing and a white mouse, a birthday gift from my pals in high school. His name was Heathcliff-He came pre-named.

2. Do you have any pets now?

No but I have deep dog envy. The weekend place only allows cats and fish, birds. I'm allergic to to cats and not really interested in the others. We'll see about after retirement. Any suggestions about hypo-allergenic cats?

3. What is the funniest or worst thing any of your pets have ever done?

The last dog, Barney was mind, but my mother stole his love by being available during the day and feeding him home cooked food. Bad dog!

4. Who is/was your favorite pet?

I guess the dogs. I was a mostly absentee owner. My child life was pretty busy and I didn't really bond with them. I bonded with books more easily.

5. How did you train your different pets?

Train? Like with tracks? Never took my pets on trips... ;-)

BONUS: Pictures of a pet or one you wish you could have.

Friday Five Forgetful Jone Edition

Apparently SOMEONE forgot to post the FF then improvised-very nicely I must say-this one.

a) What's the last thing you forgot?

1. I can't remember.

e) How do you keep track of appointments?

2.I use a desk calendar and the calendar on my iphone. Sometimes I forget to put an appointment on both.

i) Do you keep a running grocery list?

3. Yes, but then my beloved rips off the bottom of the special long note pads-to write a note- that stick to the refrigerator and that makes me furious!

o) When forced to improvise by circumstances, do you enjoy it or panic?

4. I panic.

u) What's a memory you hope you will never forget?

5. Either my first or my second marriage to beloved.

Not the Friday Five

Since no FF yet and I have to go to work, MomPriest posted these things about the July 4th weekend and I thought I'd play, too.

She said:

"What I love:
1. small local parades
2. fireworks in small towns
3. county fairs
4. hot, sun, beach, water
5. lots of good homemade picnic food
6. and, well, its the Fourth, the day we celebrate freedom and that is a good thing. Complicated, but good."

Mind (typo but apt) are:

1. Memories of the small town parades of my childhood.

2. Ditto the fireworks. Though I do like watching the Macys NYC fireworks from my rooftop in NYC with my neighbors.

3. Spending the first night on a blowup bed in my new beach palace. Blow up bed very comfortable!

4 Going to a small party with 10 new friends.

5. Swimming in our pool for the first time and watching sunset from the beach in the front of our building for the first time!

6. Celebrating the freedom that we are shakily grasping onto. Some more than others.

St. Francis Xavier. Stephanie if you didn't see the full report on CNN

I told you earlier about the Archbishop

Well the gay and lesbian leadership of the Church of St. Francis Xavier has decided to march, in the Gay Pride march on Sunday, with the banner turned backward so that you see a blank banner, as in "what's that group and why are they marching?" I thought it was a ridiculous idea. If you google St. Francis Xavier NYC you'll see that the Catholics of America are demonizing this church and have somehow lumped in the Zen Meditation group that meets there, too!
So, one of the leaders will be on CNN talking about it, and I think it will continue to blow out of proportion. I have found a nice Episcopal Church in Long Beach I plan on attending. I like this Catholic Women's group and I plan to continue to participate-at SFX- but I feel that soon they will not have a place to meet per Archbishop Timothy Dolan. Just a prediction.

PRESS RELEASE
From: Rev. Joseph S. Costantino, S.J. Pastor
The Church of St. Francis Xavier, a Roman Catholic Parish, in Chelsea, NY Re:Gay Pride March
“Serving and caring for the spiritual and pastoral needs of those with same- sex attraction is indeed,” in the words of Archbishop Dolan, “a legitimate part of the Church’s ministry.” The Archbishop is extremely grateful to the Church of St. Francis Xavier for doing so.
In past years, a group of parishioners from our parish who are members of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans-gendered (LGBT) Ministries have participated in the Gay Pride March. They displayed a banner identifying themselves as parishioners of St. Francis Xavier parish. This year, Archbishop Dolan has requested that this group refrain from displaying the parish banner as they March.
The participation of parishioners in the March provides an opportunity to spread the message of God’s unconditional love and thus is a form of evangelization. Spreading the Good News is an integral part of the mission of our parish. During the March, parishioners distribute Welcome Brochures. Many people have entered the Church or returned to the Sacraments through this pastoral outreach.
Nevertheless, the display of the parish banner may give the false impression that the parish is somehow serving as a sponsoring organization or officially endorsing other sentiments that may appear in the course of the March.
Avoiding such confusion is the motivation for the Archbishop’s request.
The St. Francis Xavier LGBT Ministries will respect the Archbishop’s request and will be marching this year without a banner identifying our parish. Efforts to reach out to those who are open to the Gospel will continue. The desire of everyone at St. Francis Xavier parish is that we proclaim the infinite love of God for all while upholding the Church’s spiritual values and moral teachings.

What do you think about that?

The Project: Update- Progress Pics

Some pics of the changes that have been happening, including the backsplash tiles that will go with the black granite counter top. You can see the little woman striking a pose in her new kitchen. Finally a kitchen where we can both be without crashing into one another! We picked out the cabinet pulls from a stores called "MyKnobs.com" It's and actual store but they are online and you can order online.
Next on tap, picking out the granite and having a template made.
For those of you wondering, our palace is a two bedroom, one and a half bath, with terrace, but it's a palace to us! The master bath is the same size as we have in our studio in the city.
Stay tuned for more...

Friday Five-Hot Town in the Summertime

Songbird posted this FF after an allergic reaction to black fly bites. Feel better Songbird!
"But I don't want that to ruin summer for the rest of you. So I invite you to share five things you love--or don't--about summer. The tone is up to you!"
1. I am the 'canary in the coal mine' when it comes to insects. They come to me first and then I am lunch. I hate this and alway have. The city doesn't have many mosquitos, but once you get a little ways our, watch out!
2. NYC is a hot and humid town in the summer. I remember how cold the drug stores of my youth were. Here...not so much. The stores all seem to keep the ac on low. Same for work. They turn it on about 8:00am (I get in at 7:30) and they turn it off at 4:00 (leave today at 5:00.) I like it cold, especially at my advancing age.
3. I love summer because I never got over loving it as a child despite the bugs and the ac. I love swimming. Of couse the palace by the sea is not ready yet and though we have been there every weekend, we have not yet been in the pool or at the beach.
4. Vacation!
5. July is my birthday. Nough said.