In 2008…

• I kept on working at the SLSC. Major changes to my program space took place in June. A new demo was unveiled in July, one that had been worked on for what seemed to be eons. A gallery renovation took place. There was a major event in October. However, as the economy dwindled, attendance began to drop. Morale in the past two months has been low among staff. People are tense because we don’t know how our jobs will be affected by this situation, and no one is communicating about finances and possible options to staff (something I think is a mistake in companies… at least lay out options for managerial staff so we can provide some input!). The year started out nicely but I’d say it has hit an all-time low at this point, workplace wise.
• I moved out in May. Learned much about budgeting, cooking on the cheap, entertaining, all that good jazz. I also think I moved into this particular apartment at exactly the wrong time. Apparently the same major maintenance issues that hit my neighbors last year hit my place in 2008: leaks, ceiling damage, sewer frustration. The sewer dealio was a major headache for all concerned and the repair was crazy business, but it was resolved. Waiting to see how the masonry leak is coming along and hoping the next rainstorm isn’t such a pain as the last. Still waiting for ceiling repair from leaks (one is in linen closet, which is really no big deal deep down to me, but one is in my bedroom… but there’s no point fixing it until the outside leak gets taken care of, and I don’t know the status of that. I’m trying to be patient. This isn’t a big, impersonal complex but there are trade-offs in the form of repairs taking longer). Apartment life has been a series of ups and downs.
• Found out that I’m paid ahead on student loans, meaning my payments will not increase automatically as I thought. This is very good. This is also the reason my credit rating is amazing.
• And despite the frustration of foolish men, I have ended the year with a big change in status… I am no longer boyfriend-free. I consider myself quite fortunate for that. I think I may have found one of the few good ones left on earth… someone considerate, respectful, adorable, funny, generous, brilliant, and otherwise marvelous. So since you’re reading this, boyfriend, happy new year. Thanks for being a bright spot in 2008.

So… work was about a 3 overall (frustrating and difficult year), life was more of a 6 (exciting with some trouble spots), but some parts of life in general were quite nice, more in the 8 range. I’d say 2008 was a lower year… a 4 overall. Not the most terrible year ever, but definitely below average. Though some things were very good!

Here’s hoping 2009 is better!

Went to Target today to get some organizers. They had a 3 tier shelf on sale and a set of 6 storage cubes. Got both. My shelf box looked like it had been thrown off the back of the truck, but I didn’t count on how bad the parts were inside. Yikes! Apparently they threw it off the plane from China. But it was the last one and I had no idea its condition till I got home. I could have gone back and demanded a refund, but I decided I’ll just put it together anyway.

A little work with a hammer and it’s a shelving unit. It cannot possibly hold the 65 pounds it’s rated for, but it can hold my shoes and accessories inside my closet, so it serves its purpose well. The cubes are just fine. They will make another layer of storage under the guinea pig cage.

Therefore, any money not used in the transportation budget in 2009 will be thrown into the Bike Savings Fund. I want to save up for a bike and a helmet. Then, as I get comfortable riding and start using the bike as a commuter tool, I can put further savings toward any tweaks. That’s the goal, at least. I’m not a very good bike rider at the moment and I’d really need to take time to learn how to ride well, but I think if I invest in a bike I’m going to get the excersize I got walking and riding the bus while paying significantly less in fees.

NOT TO BUY ANY MORE BATH PRODUCTS!

This isn’t to say I won’t accept gifts of bath products, but I tell you, my collection is nearly out of control. I have soap, bath bombs, bubble bars, bubble bath, and body wash to the point of being a bit crazy. This no-buy does not include shampoo, conditioner, or lotion, things I actually run out of.

Let’s just hope I can stick to it. I do not need more bath products until I’m out of my current stash.

On the plus side, this will likely only last a couple more months. In the meantime, my electric bills are so low that the company overcharged my estimated bills for the last few months (the meter wasn’t sending info and had to be read manually when it was changed), so my last electric bill was a whopping $2. Seriously.

I can’t imagine how to cut the gas bill down, though. My apartment is at 60-62 when I’m home during the day, 56-58 at night. I’m afraid to go lower than 56 because of the pipes. I’m actually pretty comfortable at both temp ranges, too. Especially at night. Ahhhhh cold. I do hand wash my dishes and that uses a lot more hot water than dishwashing, but I won’t be getting a dishwasher anytime soon so that’s not a solution. Hmmmm. Oh well, it’s only winter, right?

Merry Christmas to all! I won’t be on tomorrow to blog so I wish everyone well!

Tonight, since I have time off and I am in kind of a relaxed state, I decided to treat my hair right. I gently scritched the scalp (gently!) with a comb to remove any flaky yucky sadness. Then I spent a good 5-10 minutes just brushing my hair thoroughly with a boar bristle brush. My hair is now soft and shiny, not oily. My scalp feels good, not itchy.

I may need to do this more often. I think I’ve gotten out of my good haircare habits of brushing with a boar bristle brush and doing little scalp massages and such. My hair feels amazingly better and it looks awesome!

Tonight is the baked potato, which is stupid easy to make, tasty, and easy to cover with cheese. Directions:

1) Scrub a big potato under running water.

2) Violently stab the potato all over with a fork.

3) Put it in the microwave. Mine has a baked potato button, but you could just heat it up for like 5 minutes or something.

4) Cover with toppings of choice (I like butter, cheddar cheese, and McCormick’s Montreal Steak seasoning). Eat.

See how easy that was? For other easy meals, I stick with carbo-loading. I don’t need a hunk of protein all the time, you know, or I could just supplement with dairy and save meat for days I want to cook. So my easy mainstays are…

1) Rice. Put in cooker, press button. When it’s done, add toppings. Make more than you need so you can reheat it. Today I had rice with soy sauce, toasted sesame oil, garlic oil, and mirin. Mmmm. Easy. I also had some of the peanut butter balls I made yesterday because those are addictive.

2) Pasta. Also easy. I like to make a little pasta and throw some cheese on it. Or olive oil, herbs, and parmesan.

3) Pizza is really easy to make, even from scratch. It takes a little time to make the dough but it’s worth the wait. Keep sauce on hand, add herbs as you like. Make double batches of dough and freeze some. Super easy!

My next super easy challenge for myself will be making muffin batter, putting it in cups, and freezing for future use like on the Hillbilly Housewife web site. Muffins in a flash!!

I also realized I have way too many leftovers. Among them was some leftover Aldi’s pork tenderloin roast (which is DELICIOUS, btw) with some white rice. It needed repurposing. I had added hoisin sauce but still wasn’t finding the right thing. So tonight I dumped it all in a hot skillet with a little toasted sesame oil and more hoisin and now it is totally win. So delicious. Leftovers can be nice to mix around and change up.

I think I need more Asian vegetables and stir-fry type ingredients in the future. Maybe some bean sprouts, some green onions, possibly even some cabbage.

If you’ve never inventoried your kitchen, I highly recommend it. Maybe monthly for cabinet/pantry fare and weekly for the fridge, if you can. If I hadn’t inventoried I would have bought flour, potatoes, onions, and other unneeded food. I have plenty of each of those things, but I needed to see it. Also, I find that things end up being stored everywhere and they need to be brought back into some sense of order.

Back to my faux BBQ pork fried rice.

However, this time of year doesn’t have to be about waste. It can be a time in which reuse is at its highest. I challenge you: REUSE!!

How? Easy. Reuse gift bags. Reuse tissue paper. If you have a desire, reuse wrapping paper or bows. You know you’ll get a bunch of those so why not? You can even take a store bag and doll it up with stickers and ribbon. I did this just recently! I have only bought bows and tissue paper this year, though I could have done fine without the tissue paper as I have salvaged plenty from my gifts thus far!

Also, this is a great time to visit a ReUseIt group, the Gigoit site, or even Craigslist to start dumping off things you no longer need. One person’s ugly knickknack is another person’s perfect stocking stuffer! Get your closet cleaned out now so it won’t be so stuffed.

Choose to reuse this holiday season. It doesn’t have to be about waste!