Things to Save That I Take for Granted

I waste a lot of resources. My family wastes a lot of resources. Two problems result in this. Most importantly, we are adding too much to our carbon footprint when we mindlessly overuse something, throw it away before consuming, or don't maximize the life cycle before replacing. Second, all these things come with a price tag. Wouldn't it be better to have those dollars count towards our savings goals? Here is a list of things I know I have taken for granted. As this year ends and 2019  begins, I will strive to rein in spending, use, and  abuse of the these items. 

• Running water. Am I maximizing wash loads, taking brief showers, and not letting the taps run when not in use? 
• Heat and electricity. Do I turn down the furnace temperature in the winter and forego A.C. or use only on the highest setting on the most unpleasant days? Are we leaving appliances plugged in when not in use (vampire electric use) and remembering to turn off lights not needed? 
• Toilet paper, paper towels, other paper products. Spending $42 on Toilet Paper is a kick in the wallet. Not to be gross, but how many squares are really needed? Paper towels, plates, and napkins-try and use only when the alternative is not very conducive to the job. I'm lumping wraps, foil, clings, and baggies into this group as well. Can a reusable container work as well as disposable wraps and bags? If not, can the bag have an additional life? 
• Gasoline. Am I using the most cost effective routes and doubling up trips to not waste miles? With winter here, how long is enough, but not too much to run the car before driving? Do we have enough warm clothes on so that we do not need to crank the heat? 
• Fresh food. I've probably talked about food waste to the point of boring you all, but I know my family takes this for granted. We simply cannot afford though environmentally and financially to let good food go bad, then rot in landfills. We must do better eating what is bought, and freezing leftovers for future meals. 
• Health.  I have my chronic RA, my knee that gives me issues, and boughts of insomnia. Yet, I still have a working body that does for the most part, everything it is meant to do. I need to not waste the health I have with eating junk, being sedentary, and dwelling on negativity. I know I take for granted that I wake up and am able to work, play, and take care of my family. 
• Time. As the year ends, I am looking to where I can maximize my time for spending time with my family, positive social connectedness, effective home management, hobbies that bring me joy, and opportunities to earn additional money. I must evaluate how I spend my spare time to see if it is checking one of these boxes, and if not, realize I am squandering a precious resource. 

What do you think you take for granted? Are you making efforts to change your mindset and behavior? Please share your success and  challenges. 

Adjusting

I'm not adjusting very well to my new life with this new job.  That is not to say that the job is not going well.  It is actually going as well as I had hoped, so it is not adjusting to the job, but adjusting my life in this job.  Let me explain.  Prior to February 9th, the day I gave notice, it was the norm to be wired constantly with my phone for calls, texts, and e-mail.  This was every day, 7 days a week.  Not responding to some at the time, could mean more problems or headaches later. I constantly brought work home to complete each night or early morning, on top of already spending generally 50 hours in the office or out of office meetings. If a grant or contract was due, I regularly was added another 8-10 hours to the office time.  I could not shut off.

Now, I am in the office between 8:00 and 8:30, stay until 4:30-5:00.  I have brought my computer home just twice in three weeks, and that was only because I left early for some family things and exchanged a few hours working at home.  Soon I will be telecommuting several days a month, saving 90 minutes of commuting time,  and work slightly longer hours  nine out of ten days to earn a flex day off every two weeks. Minimally this translates to 12 hours more per week on average to call my own.

What's the problem, you might ask. My problem is I have not yet  adjusted what should be a bankers wad of extra free time into anything constructive.  I find myself carrying my cell phone room to room, wondering if it is broken because it is not dinging constantly. I sit for several minutes at a time doing a fictional to do list in my head of items I am no longer responsible for. I fear I have too much time to think now, and it is starting to scare me. Part of why I took this job, along with the decrease in cash flow, is that it was going to improve my families overall quality of life.  We would eat better meals, have a more orderly house, enjoy the free time more as a trio, or quintet if all of us were home. I was going to not only pay due diligence to this blog, but move a new one forward that was to be a foundation of a side business. I'm not feeling ambitious at all for any of those things and tonight, nothing sounds better than doing a binge watch of Broadchurch Season 1 on Netflix. 

It oddly resembles my feelings and experience after my father passed away.  For the previous five years, starting three years before my mother died, I spent at last one weekend day and a couple weeknights helping to manage household duties for my elderly and in declining health parents, as well as running them on errands, or just visiting.  After he died, 20 months after mom, suddenly I had these gaping holes in my calendar.  Of course there was grief and the adjustment to not having my parents with us, but the change in my life style was profound-awkward and unsettling. This feels similar. It feels like I am missing the adrenaline that used to course through my veins, keeping me "on" all the time.Can any of you relate? I am sure life will norm and I will wonder soon why I ever thought I had too much time.  My trick will be to be the master of that calendar and not let trivial things or business without focus take over. 

Discovering a Great Bookstore

We have a short window between the end of fall soccer and the start of travelling basketball, so Saturdays and Sundays are precious during that time.  I was needing some good quality time with my DD#2 a few weeks back.  DD#1 was still home then, packing and working and getting ready for her (now maybe) move out west, and with limited time for us at home.  We decided to make a city day of it.  There is nothing my younger daughter likes more than books, and put her in a book store is like putting other kids in a candy store.  She walks into one, and there is just a beam of light coming from her face.  She has that same reaction in libraries, and loves to check out new ones whenever possible. She  also picked up my habit of rereading favorite books over and over, so she likes to own the ones that are her favorites.  Not very thrifty, but she could care less about new clothes, hanging out in malls, or other things kids her age spend money on, so at this stage, not too worried about the occasional $10-$20 she spends on books from earned babysitting or gift money.  She is never without a book-you never know when there might be some quiet time. 

This particular early November Saturday I wanted to take her to something more unique than a Barnes and Noble.  In St Paul there is an awesome books tore called "subtext".  Subtext is located in the basement, under an iconic coffee house called "Nina's", pronounced like 9a's, not nee-na's. This is important because that was my grandmothers name, pronounced that way.  I never knew that grandma, so it feels like a connection that I never had.  Weird? I am fond of this coffee house as a place to end my work day when it logistically just doesn't make sense to battle traffic to head back to the office, but I'd miss too much  time being able to respond to e-mails if I headed home since I have a pretty long commute. 

Subtext did not disappoint.  When we first went downstairs, her first impression was it was pretty cool, but not a lot of books of her genre.  There were additional tables and soft reading areas with  side tables, as the book store is an extension of Nina's.  There seemed to be a couple book studies going on, as well as several browsers.  DD#1 looked around, and was about to suggest we go, when I directed her to the "Addendum", the alcove off the main book store, set up brilliantly for teens and children.

DD#1 browses at the Sci-fi fantasy, next to a John Green display.

She plunked herself down and started looking at titles and reading first pages trying to make decisions.  This was not  process to rush.  Down the hall, behind a stone wall was the collection of books on home improvement, decorating, and cooking.  Don't you love how they use the imperfections in the stone walls as book displays? I found a couple decorating and some vegetarian cookbooks, grabbed one of the red chairs, and did some browsing on my own.  I was not going to buy though, as I am still on my buy one thing, throw two, and wasn't in the mindset to declutter when I came home.  That rule has been serving me well.  While the house isn't that much tidier, we at least are slowly getting unused and unneeded stuff out of the house, plus, I think we are getting a little boost in the checkbook.  It is crucial because there have been so many other  costs and budget dings that weren't part of the budget.

After she settled on a book, we paid for it, and headed back upstairs.  There we had a sandwich and coffee/cocoa, and chatted about the book she selected, and other titles by the author.  Nina's was bustling with families, college students, and  small groups of people catching up with each other. Missing from my work day stops were the multitude of laptops and tablets, though still a few.  It was Saturday, so people were looking to recharge with human connections. There was going to be a poetry slam at 2:00, and we debated sticking around. We walked around the neighborhood a little bit, but decided not to stay for the poetry reading.  Maybe another time, and with her inviting a friend along to enjoy it with. We did take our time getting home, making a couple other stops on route.  We were home in the late afternoon, still time to get a few home tasks done-neglected from the week, and prepare a nice dinner for the three of us before the hubby got home from work.  It was a next to perfect Saturday.  What about you?  What ways would you suggest for spending an elusive free calendar day?  Where are your favorite stomping grounds?

                                      Closer view of the Addendum-great light from the street above.                                        That's DD with three titles already in hand and looking at more.

Musings and a Movie Review

I'm going to swim against the tide and officially declare that there is nothing on my calendar today.  I am only as busy as I choose.  Of course there is laundry and meals, and probably some cleaning, but no appointments or events that are set to a clock.  Knowing this, I worked quite late for a Friday in the office so it was nearly seven by the time I reached home, and the rest of the family were already engrossed in a football game or hanging with friends.  I took the evening for myself and grabbed a bit of supper,  a Bud Light 'Rita drink, followed by two more, and hopped on Netflix. 

I found a movie in the new release queue titled, Night Train to Lisbon. 
The movie stars Jeremy Irons as a divorced, self described pretentious but boring school teacher, that uncharacteristically finds himself in Lisbon searching for clues and answers about the life of a writer.  The movie is told in flashbacks by various people he meets, all part of the 1970's  Portuguese Resistance movement. It is a mystery, a political commentary, and a lost love story all in one, set in Lisbon, a city I had no idea was so stunningly picturesque.  The writer, and lead character in the  flashback is the  handsome and  charismatic Amadeau Pradu, a doctor by training, and a dreamer in practice, out to live life to the fullest. Iron's character, Gregorius, hopes by learning more about Amadeau, he can  know what it was like to be him, to know the kind of passion and zest for living he felt. I won't give away the ending, but there are a few twists.  Originally a book, it is a slow, but engaging story. I plan to add to my winter reading list. 

I like a movie that makes you think.  While a bit over dramatic in times, the narrative Amadeau penned is a challenge to the reader, or in my case now, the viewer, to not settle for a second rate life.  We have limited hours on the earth and a responsibility to make the most of those days. Some may be offended in his interpretation of the afterlife of being a never ending  dullness, without excitement, and that death, is what makes truly living possible. I tend not to read too much into a fictional story, and can separate enjoying characters beliefs from my own.  

Gregorius's actions intrigue me.  The idea of taking hold of bits and pieces of information, and trying to solve a mystery is intriguing. I am fascinated with people and the differences in  how people live their lives.  I love to people watch, particularly when out of town, as I assume,  that person must live so differently than me.  My daughters think I am just plain nosy.  Maybe I am.  With everyone talking loud cell phones in public, you can't help but overhear bits and pieces of information that if you think about, help create a little story to ponder. In Night Train, Gregarious goes many steps farther and dives into the detail of the authors life.  Who were his friends? What became of the various people he wrote about?  Why did Amadeau feel he had to live so hard? Why have I lived such a boring and uninteresting life, and is it too late to make changes? 

Who knows, the next time I end up with a second hand book, written by an unknown author in a place and time I haven't been to, maybe I'll be jumping on a plane or train too.  I like the possibility.

Revelling in Luxury

My daughter and I had the excellent fortune to not only get a reservation for Saturday night in the beautiful Mayflower Renaissance Hotel, right off the Farragut North Metro stop, under budget through an Orbitz booking, we got there before 1:00 p.m. and they had a room ready and let us check-in early. Looking at the regular rates, my family has spent about that much on a small suite room for all 5 of us for a week in Florida. While not quite record breaking heat, it hit 94 and the humidity was so thick in Washington D.C., we were pretty drenched from sweat just in the walk from earlier hotel, through the metro stops, and to this one. We had thought we were going to just leave our bags to explore the Dupont Circle neighborhood, but the extra two hours, meant we could cool down, clean-up, and look human again before heading out. While our room was one of those tucked back off several hallways, we opened the door to complete luxury. Marble floors, a bathroom with double sinks and brass and porcelain handles, two fluffy queen beds, a sitting area, coffee amenities, and windows all around. Now the view was the inside area-tops of maintenance buildings and boilers. We ignored the view, but concentrated on getting the lovely light through the windows.



Ours was in a disposable cup but just as nice!

We did pull ourselves out the door, but the heat and humidity, lost us. Despite stepping in and out of several book stores, boutiques, and a couple name stores, and a patient wait for a couple Frappuccino’s at Starbucks, we headed back to the room for another relaxation break. Speaking of Starbucks, we would have much rather found somewhere more local, but I was surprised that we really didn't pass anything remotely independent, with the exception of the crowded coffee room in the book stores. Yet, there were three Starbucks in our 10 block walk, each backed almost out the doors with customers. I was disappointed that the streets and the little green space that surrounds the Dupont Circle wasn't crowded with city life-everyone appeared to be in Starbucks. Last year on this same business trip, I had a few hours to kill before having to be at the airport and spent them reading on a park bench, surrounded by people, barely being able to see the grass because of all the locals lounging on blankets and elbows. Even those that live regularly in warm weather have to succumb to the heat and humidity. We were greeted in the hotel lobby with a complimentary honey Jim beam and lemonade and an assortment of candy. It was a nice little touch on the afternoon.

Yum, tiki masala and na'an.

We ate at an uncrowded Indian restaurant; for the first 20 minutes, we were the only dinner customers. The food was delicious, and I can attest to anyone that doesn’t think vegetarian cooking will be hearty enough to meet their appetite, they only needed to see me waddling away from the table, having left food still uneaten. Spinach paneer, tiki masala, vegetable fritters, na'an, and sambosa's-I'm still full this monring. We got a brief reprieve from the humidity, as during dinner, the weather finally broke and it rained hard for about 45 minutes. We had a nice walk back to the hotel, though ended up walking a bit further, stopping for a beer that we both really were too full to enjoy. We were ready to call it a night, and headed back to the hotel, called home, and enjoyed the comfort of the room.

I'm sharing our day because in much of the reading I do about simple living, or decluttering your life, the impression is often left that simplicity means you should no longer or never enjoy some finer things in life. A little guilt steeps into the phrases used, and stories shared about how when the writer experienced something of luxury and splendor, they had to justify it as for a good cause, or they were a guest of a spend thrift friend that didn't get it, or when they arrived home, they would pay a toll by eating nothing but oatmeal for breakfast for a week. Simplicity should not be martyrdom. I do want to streamline everyday living, but not to taut a higher than thou zen like existence, but to better appreciate what I have, and who I spend my time with. This hotel and that dinner is not my normal life. I also have not had 24 hours of together time with my daughter in over a year-so that needed to be celebrated. The little splurging we've done was planned for, and we'll be back tomorrow in our norms. Today will be a last day of museums, snacking on street corner pretzels, and packing a couple granola bars to go with our complimentary beverage for the flight home. But for now, I'm going to kick back with all four pillows on my bed, sip my coffee, with real cream, and enjoy my morning.