Day 31: Not really an ABC list

I’ve seen several posts about the ABCs of spring break.  I thought about that as my last slice, but I just don’t know if I can fill in enough letters.  This spring break has been one of my least active.  This spring break was filled with lots of reading and writing, so W and R are covered.  I watched golf.  I already have a W so that will be a G for golf.  I practiced golf, that could be the P.  I organized pictures, there’s the O.  I took several walks, but I already have the W so it would have to be neighborhood walks for the N.  I watched Netflix, but both W and N are taken.  Night Agent was the show I watched, dang another N.  I shopped, so there’s an S.  I had lots of laughs with my husband, double L.  I did a puzzle, but I already have a P.  Jigsaw puzzle, now it’s a J.  The highlight of spring break was the baby shower, B is the best.  I drove my daughter to the airport, which could be D for drove, or A for airport.  I ate dark chocolate, another D or a C.  I finished a sewing project that someone else previously started, but S is taken and so is P.  It can be an F for finished. 

Maybe I could add all the things to my list that I did not do over break.  I did not go to the zoo, Z.  I did not go on vacation, V.  I did not garden, G or eat ice cream, E or I.  I usually play games with my family, but this spring break I didn’t.  I already have a P and a G.  So even if I did play games that wouldn’t have been helpful for my list.  Maybe I could l say ‘fun games with my family’, shoot I already have an F.  Online games with my family.  Ugh, I already have an O.  Boardgames with my family.  Nope I already have a B.  Jackbox is the game we sometimes play, but yep I already have a J.

Everyone else made this seem so easy.  But it can be kind of hard.  I’ll just sum up my spring break by saying it was relaxing and laid back.  It was enjoyable because it was everything I was expecting.  I was not overscheduled.  I got to read when I wanted, walk when I wanted, sleep when I wanted, be active when I wanted, and be lazy when I wanted.  It has been a perfect way to reenergize and be ready for the end of the school year.  Today my slicing ends.  After I submit this, I will have 2 ½ days of completely unscheduled time to do what I want until spring break ends.  It’s been an enjoyable month slicing and an enjoyable week of spring break.  I look forward to next year.

Day 30: So many pictures

Today is a day for organizing pictures.  It will actually be one of many days because organizing pictures takes forever. It’s a process. A process I’ve perfected.

Step 1:  This step is easy.  I’ve mastered step one.  It takes no thought.  I work month to month.  I copy every picture from a month and put it on a USB with the file name being that month and year.  It doesn’t matter what the picture is.  It goes on the USB.  The USB is my first backup.  At this point, I do not take the pictures off my phone.  I keep them on my phone and the USB.

Step 2:  I transfer the pictures from the USB to my computer into a general file.  Step 2 takes forever.  I look at every picture to see which ones I will keep, and which ones will be deleted.  I have tons of pictures that are very nearly the same.  I look at each one.  I toggle between them.  Which picture should I keep, and which should be deleted?  Does the head tilt slightly to the left in this picture look better than the head being straighter?  Everything else is literally the same.  The only difference is a slight head tilt.  Some pictures have a foot slightly angled down.  Others may have an arm on a hip or a knee bent.  But everything else is literally the same.  Why am I so particular?  It takes so long.

Step 2.5: This is when I’m reminiscing about each picture.  Remembering when it was taken.  Oohing and aahing about how little the kids were and how funny that memory was.  How cute an outfit was or how good my hair looked.  Every picture with my hair looking good is a keeper.  I can’t help but reminisce.

Step 3:  This is when I rename each picture with the mm/dd/yy(001..).  This used to take a long time.  The program I previously used made too many mistakes.  It took too long to correct those mistakes.  My husband is a computer guy.  I had him write me a program to rename the pictures perfectly.  He did and now there are no mistakes.  I double-click his program and all the pictures are renamed perfectly.

Step 4:  The renamed pictures get transferred to a file that goes into a photo album with the pictures nicely displayed on the computer.  This takes a matter of seconds.  My husband to the rescue again.  I double-click on his program and the pictures are automatically placed in the photo album.

Step 5:  Delete 90% of the pictures from my phone.  This has never ever been accomplished.  I like too many pictures.  My iCloud is full.  Thousands of pictures could be lost in an instant if something happens to my phone.  This is why I must at least accomplish step 1.  Getting to steps 2-4 is a bonus.  Getting to step 5 would be a small miracle. 

I have 3 more days left of spring break to accomplish my goal.  I will succeed.  I will at least get through step 4….I will!

Day 29: “Who owes you an apology?”

I’m not sure what to write about so I refer to my one-question-a-day journal.  The question is “Who owes you an apology?”  I had to think about the people in my life.  Does anybody really owe me an apology?  My husband has been in Texas.  He’s a bit too far away to irritate me.  He’s texted or called me each day to check in and see how things are with me.  Nope, no apology owed.  My oldest daughter was in town.  She was excited about her baby shower and all the gifts.  She was happy and appreciative.  She did get irritated with her father for not following her exact instructions about the dogs’ sleep routine.  Maybe she is owed an apology for that, but no apology is owed to me.  My middle daughter is working hard in her new career.  She talked to me about some deadlines she needs to meet.  She sounded a little stressed, but nothing unmanageable.  She is super kind, helpful, thoughtful, and supportive on a daily basis.  She does not owe me any apology.  Maybe I owe her one, but I’m not sure for what.  My son is working and figuring out his life.  He’s trying to find his interests and how to be more comfortable in his adult role.  He may feel like he owes me an apology, but I really hope not because he doesn’t.  My best friend was a huge, beyond huge, help with the baby shower.  I owe her a thank you.  She does not owe me an apology.  My sister is helping her daughter deal with medical issues.  I don’t want to overburden her.  I may owe her an offer of help.  She does not owe me an apology.  My nieces are hard-working and raising their families.  They don’t owe me an apology.  I was able to visit with my extended family recently.  It was wonderful catching up with them.  They don’t owe me an apology.  I’ve been on spring break and haven’t seen my co-workers since last Friday.  None of them owe me an apology.  Honestly, they are all wonderful people and even if I’ve seen them every minute since Friday they wouldn’t owe me an apology. 

After thinking about all those people, I was just going to simply answer ‘nobody’.  Then it hit me.  There is one person who did not respond to me, contact me, or reach out to me in any way regarding my invitation to the baby shower.  I understand that sometimes people can’t attend or just don’t want to attend.  I respect that.  I don’t want to force anybody to do anything they don’t want to do.  Just because I think something is important doesn’t mean someone finds it of equal importance.  I respect that.  Some people don’t rsvp if they are not attending an event and I can understand that also.  But, when there is a relatively important person who gives zero contact when you reach out to them, that is something I don’t completely understand.  So, maybe this person owes me an apology.  But, then again maybe this person isn’t as important as I thought and therefore doesn’t owe me an apology.  So, I’ll answer the question this way…”Yes, someone does owe me an apology but I won’t get said apology and I’m fine with that”.

Day 28: It feels good to be appreciated

I enjoy doing nice things for others.  I really enjoy it.  Whether it takes a lot of planning or if it’s spur of the moment, I feel the same joy.  Sometimes doing something for someone can be time-consuming and a bit stressful.  Sometimes it’s more easily executed.  Sometimes it’s a quick comment or action.  No matter, it lifts my spirits.  I do these things with no expectations.  I do these things for the sheer enjoyment it brings to the other person, but truth be told I do it also because witnessing their happiness brings me a good feeling and I like the good feeling.   I like bringing the secretary a coffee in the morning because she works hard, and I know it will make her smile.  I like bringing the janitor a Christmas gift.  He looks happy and says, ‘thank you’.  The teachers get so many.  It’s nice for him to get some too.  I like planning a golf outing with my son, treating my daughters to breakfast, and picking up the largest container of honey at the farmer’s market because my husband’s favorite ingredient in his tea is honey.  I like finding the perfect golf gift for the golfers in my life, the perfect crafting item for the crafters, and the perfect healthy items for the health nuts.  Although the health nut is usually the one finding the best healthy items.  I like sharing my books with the readers.  I like giving some of my time to the busy new moms.  I like gathering the games for the game players.  I like initiating the plans for a quick trip, and then taking tons of pictures for those that cherish the memories.

Recently I was shown appreciation for one of my actions.  I was given wine and dark chocolate.  I was given a public ‘thank you’.  I honestly will continue to do nice things with no expectations.  But I will say that the show of appreciation felt good.  It was nice.

Day 27: A touch of spring

Like many others, I’m on Spring Break.  And today it felt a little like spring.  The sun was shining in my living room and I felt the warmth.  This gives me the motivation to do spring things.  Cleaning all the windows and sliding glass doors was the first spring thing I did.  Having the sun shining in through a pristine streak-free window gives me positive feelings and inspires me to be active on this beautiful day.  I scanned my living room and needed to remove all things winter.  My snowflake living room blankets were replaced with the flowery brightly colored spring blankets.  The snow pals mini ornaments on my Lenox tree were replaced with the butterflies and flowers.  The wreath on the wall was replaced with a family photo.  The shovel decoration on the front door was replaced with the newly purchased metal flower and butterfly door hanging.  The outdoor pots and garden areas were cleaned of debris.  It’s not quite warm enough to begin the planting.  But I’ll be ready when the heat arrives.  I’m tempted to grab my earbuds and take a neighborhood walk.  But I see the branches blowing in the wind and shadows down the block.  It might be chillier out there than it looks.  I’m not going to let the illusion of spring leave me.  I’ll enjoy spring inside for now and will hopefully get to enjoy the outside spring real soon.

Day 26: GPS mishaps

I always use my GPS, well mostly always.  If I’m going more than 5 miles, I use my GPS.  I don’t want to get held up by anything.  I want to know if there are any accidents, where the red-light cameras are, if there are speed traps, and exactly how long it will take me to get to my destination.  My GPS tells me all this and I love it.  Sometimes I’m on automatic.  I set it up and follow the directions without much thought.  There have been a few times when I was forced to give it more thought, to think about why exactly my GPS was taking me in a particular direction.

One such time was when we returned from our vacation in Maine.  That was an amazing trip.  We made it home after a very long drive and I was ready to relax for days and days.  I had some errands to run so I finally ventured out.  My errands were more than 5 miles, so I set the GPS.  I got my errands completed and set the GPS for ‘destination home’.  I didn’t give it any thought beyond setting the destination.  I didn’t look at the route, and I didn’t check the ETA, I just assumed the trip home would be as uneventful as the trip out.  So, I headed home and followed the route.  By the second turn, something seemed off.  I was being led in a different direction.  I decided to just follow it, until the third turn.  At that turn, I was being led away from home.  It was time to check my ETA…17 hours!  I looked at my destination…Maine!  Ugh!!  We reset our ‘destination home’ to the cabin in Maine while we were on vacation.  I totally forgot about that.  Time to turn off the GPS, turn around and head to my real ‘destination home’.  I made it well within 17 hours.

More recently I was at a gathering with friends. It was a somber gathering at a VFW hall.  Traffic to the hall was a bit busy.  I set my GPS for the trip home.  It was going to take me a bit longer than I anticipated.  I figured there was still some traffic, so I’d listen to audible to make the drive more pleasant.  I was on the highway that leads directly toward home and the traffic didn’t look too bad so I thought I might start to see the ETA go down.  But then I was led off the highway that takes me straight home.  I figured there must be an accident ahead and that’s why I was taken on a different route.  Then I really thought about this route.  It was definitely a familiar route, but not a familiar home route.  It was a familiar work route.  Ugh!!  I set the destination for work rather than home.  My trip home just became much longer than anticipated.  I really need to pay more attention when I set my GPS.

Day 25: Success!

The baby shower is finally here.  I’ve been thinking about this day for weeks and it’s finally here.  I woke up early.  I had plenty of time to sleep in, but that was not happening today.  As soon as I woke, I had thoughts about the baby shower.  Once that takes hold there is no sleep in sight.  So, I wake up and slowly start my day.  I go through my normal morning routine.  I see all the baby shower necessities scattered, in an organized manner throughout my house.  The drinks are in the garage keeping cold.  The decorations are on the front table.  The games, prizes, and snacks are in the living room.  They are all ready to be transported to the venue.  I have a plan for this morning.  I will make a list to be sure I’m not forgetting anything.  I’ll get myself ready and look my best.  I’m not the fanciest person but I do like looking extra nice for these special days.  I’ll count on others to do their part and won’t give that a second thought.  My best friend will pick up the food and set it out for everyone.  My niece will help decorate.  The in-laws will have appetizers, silverware, cups, plates, and napkins.  They’ll have their share of the prizes.  They’ll help with the set-up and decorating.  We are all very respectful and reasonable people.  We work well together and get the place looking as a baby shower should.  It’s bright and pink with balloons and gifts in one corner, the ‘diaper cake’ and raffle in another, the sangria and champagne on the bar top, and the tables are ready for the guests to arrive. 

And they do arrive.  I see person after person entering with smiles.  Some people haven’t seen each other in a while and there are immediate hugs.  Some weren’t aware that others would be attending and there are looks of surprise and excitement.  I fretted about having enough room for everyone to be comfortable and easily move around.  I should not have fretted.  Everyone found their spots.  The elderly sat at the lower tables with family they haven’t seen in a while.  The family with the 2 young children chose the high table because the kids wanted to be up higher.  Some families chose the front of the room.  Others preferred the back.  Everyone fit and moved around easily, and it was perfect.

The guests got settled and started for the food.  The food is something else I fretted about.  I never want to run out of food, but I don’t like getting too much either.  I ordered enough food to feed 50 people.  We had about 45 people.  The bourbon-marinated chicken and buttery mashed potatoes were the clear favorites.  The salad had a ton of ingredients and was delicious, but there was plenty left over.  I’ll be enjoying that salad for the next few days.  Meatloaf was the fourth item I ordered.  I thought it was delicious.  But, there were tons of that left over.  I will be freezing lots of meatloaf.  As everyone was nearly finished eating, we started the games.  We started with an easy one to let people ease into it.  It turns out it wasn’t as easy as I thought.  Some were stumped and there was lots of laughter.  I always wonder if people enjoy these games as much as I do or if they just tolerate them.  I heard many positive comments, some competitive comments, and more laughter.  So, for today I’m going to say that they really enjoyed the games.  And, they enjoyed the prizes.

Finally, it was present time.  Many people had their presents sent directly to the mommy-to-be’s home.  Others brought presents to be unwrapped at the shower.  It was the perfect amount to open.  The nearly-new parents got the attention of opening presents and the guests got to see some really cute items without sitting for hours watching every item be opened.  After presents, some slowly began to say their goodbyes and congratulations, while others hung around just a bit longer. 

Everyone did their part, and everyone made this the perfect day.

Day 24: Leave my stuff alone

I can’t stay on track, and keep my train of thought flowing for a good slice.  And, it’s after 10pm so I’m running out of time.  This pressure is not helping me.  My thought for today is to respect each other’s stuff.  I’ve had several sentence starters, like…

-Don’t touch it or change it if it’s not yours…

-Don’t assume others will like it just because you do…

-Ask before you do it…

-You may have great ideas, but sometimes people prefer their mediocre idea because it’s theirs…

-We like what we like!

-We want it the way we want it because it’s ours…

-If you are wondering what the plan is, well stop wondering and ask…

-If you want to be sure people know your plan, well tell them…

That’s my scattered train of thought.  What I have learned is that people can be part of the same conversation to try to be sure they are on the same page, and yet the plan is executed in two completely different ways with confusion everywhere.  Words are hard.

Day 23: A short uninteresting slice

It’s been a long day.  Not a bad day, just a long day.  It was a bit of a crazy end to the workday yesterday, and because of that, I left with some paperwork that was not completed.  I got to school early this morning to finish that paperwork, review lesson plans, and send calendar invites.  I finished just in time to start working with my groups.  Those groups lasted until lunchtime.  I enjoyed the complete downtime during my 30-minute lunch break.  Then the afternoon began.  It started with more documentation.  Then it was an afternoon full of groups.  There was a meeting after dismissal that lasted until 3:30.  I was watching the clock and was the first one to leave so I could make it to a 4:00 appointment.  I arrived exactly on time.  After that, I ran an errand and then headed home to have a quick dinner before my online class.  I was actually multi-tasking during dinner so I could give my full attention to my online class.  After class, I had a few chores that couldn’t wait any longer.  With those complete, I was ready to write my slice.  I have no creativity, no happy feelings, no sad feelings, and no emotions about a particular topic that captures my interest to write about.  I’m writing right now because I have an obligation to write.  Today has been very task oriented with little extra emotions added in.  My slice is done.  Hopefully, this is the last task that needs to be completed for this long day.

Day 22: ‘She’s ready to pop’

This is actually a cute party favor for a momma-to-be. 

I have 50 small pink popcorn boxes to fill for the baby shower.  I’m not going to fill them with the buttery microwave popcorn.  It is delicious, but the boxes will get greasy and look messy.  I could buy some already-popped popcorn, but that’s expensive.  Air pop it is.  I do want some flavor though, so I have the white cheddar popcorn seasoning.  My air popper only allows for ½ cup of kernels at a time.  This may be the rule for all air poppers.  I’m not quite sure.  Since I have lots of boxes to fill I figure it could take several hours to pop all the kernels.  Contributing to that will be the need to constantly plug and unplug the device.  There is no on/off switch, just the plug.  Then, there is the heat-up time.  That will for sure take several minutes for each ½ cup serving.  The actual popping should also take several minutes.  I’m making no other plans this evening so I can get yet another task checked off my list.

I have my air popper on the counter and my bowl is in place.  I’m finally ready for the popping to begin.   I start with my nearly empty bag of kernels.  As anticipated, it takes several minutes for these kernels to pop.  But the kernels are not jumping out of the popper as I expected.  They’re just staying there, and I have to dump them out.  This is going to take longer than I anticipated.  And the popcorn doesn’t look pretty and white and fluffy.  These party favors are not going to be as cute as the Etsy picture showed.  I stop and think.  I look at my nearly empty bag of kernels and then I look at my fresh brand-new unopened bag.  I’m hoping it’s just the kernels.  I chuck that old bag, open the fresh one, and try again.  I have immediate success.  The kernels start popping right away, swirling all over, jumping out, and filling my bowl.  I want to get the cheddar flavoring in every bite, so I start shaking the bottle as the popcorn is still flying out.  That was a big mistake.  The hot air not only swirls the popcorn all around, but it also does the very same thing to the seasoning (insert eye-roll here).  Seasoning goes everywhere except on the popcorn.  I’ll just have to wait until the bowl is full to add that.

I finally step back and admire my work.  I have 5 huge bowls of popcorn scattered about my kitchen.  White cheddar seasoning has been generously shaken over each batch.  It looks pretty, fluffy white, and just like that Etsy picture.  The best part is it only took 20 minutes.  I seriously overestimated the time I would need to air-pop popcorn.