Love it: TaoTronics Humidifier

The heating element on my old humidifier failed last week do I bought a new one! Meet my new baby from TaoTronics:

Tarot: a current list

Photo by Sergi Viladesau
on Unsplash

Thought I'd better make a central list. Some of these descriptions are ones I wrote on this blog previously.

Oracle sets: a current list

For my own edification, here's a central list of all the oracle sets I have. As with my Tarot list, some of these descriptions are ones I wrote on this blog previously.

Tarot/divination 'want it' list

Just a central list so I can get at it when I need to. Not sure I actually WANT all of these, but I find them interesting anyway.

Lockdown plumbing achievement unlocked!

I've lived in my condo for over 10 years. I had big plans to do so much before moving in, but besides having the balcony enclosure replaced I have not got around to any of it. (A raging case of executive dysfunction doesn't help!)

I'm not young, I live alone, and I have had no previous experience with plumbing or building, but I like to be as independent as possible. As my Dad's only daughter, he's always surprised by my wish to do this stuff myself and that I have my own actual tools.

Now, being here all the time, I'm finding I'm finally more inclined to make this place liveable. I've started with the smallest room, the bathroom.

Since mid-March, I have repaired a leaky toilet tank, installed a bidet attachment, swapped out the shower handles, and fixed a broken flush chain. And now...

Pass the Popcorn

Original from Clipartlord

A little while back I decided to make a Lifesongs-style list, only on the films I’ve loved the most over the years. I found it difficult, so to help me out in the meantime I instead made a list of every movie I’ve ever seen in a theatre or drive-in. Not easy, of course, my brain being what it is. Luckily I had Wikipedia to help me.

The things you learn.

Today I learned Flat Foot Floogie (aka Flat Fleet Floogie) is actually about a syphilitic prostitute.

The floogie part originally was "floozie" or maybe "floosie," American slang for a prostitute. It was changed to floogie to make it fit for the delicate sensibilities of radio audiences.

And "floy, floy" was slang for a sexually transmitted disease, probably syphilis. One effect of end-stage syphilis, which may not show up for many years after the infection, is called proprioception. It causes the sufferer to walk with a high-stepping gait, sort of slapping their feet flat on the floor.

Hence "flat foot floogie."

I'm listening to Fats Waller's version of the 1938 Slim & Slam dance hit now, it's a joyous song and I'll never hear it the same way again.

The Resolution will not be televised

Screengrab from
Half A Life - Paramount

Personal Log, Lwaxana Troi Stardate 44805.3

Entry 4:

Well, this trip is turning out a bit differently than I had expected.

Eleven bags

I've finished my second go-of my clothes and I've filled 11 big recycling bags. I still have too many shirts, pants, dresses, sweaters, etc. but if I don't move on I'll be on clothing forever. I have yet to tackle outerwear, undergarments, pyjamas, jewelry, handbags, shoes, swimwear, and everything waiting to be washed, but I think of that stuff separately anyway. I think I will revisit the clothing in six months.

The farther I get on this path, the more daunting it seems. I really do have soooo much stuff, and I work a lot and I am out of town a lot. I think it could easily be Summer before I see a light at the end of the tunnel.

But The Boy helped me take the 11 bags to a donation Centre today, and the difference is palpable. It's as if I’d been physically carrying it all around with me, and the load has been lifted.

And this is just the main clothing - no socks, pyjamas, outerwear, scarves, jewelry, bags, shoes... but it was the bulk of the problem for sure!

Love it: Call of the West

This weekend, I had a conversation with a friend of mine regarding significant albums (for his podcast Deeper Cuts). He wanted me to tell him about an album that held a special place in my heart, and it took me a while to narrow it down to just one, as there are so many for so many different reasons. I decided on Wall of Voodoo’s Call of the West from 1982.

More bags

I have finished my first go-through of all of my clothes, and I have 8-½ bags to donate. I still have enough clothing for two or three more people, and I haven’t even touched socks, bras, tights, etc. so starting tomorrow I am going to take a second run at it and tackle the "maybe" pile, and be really firm.

Seriously, I have probably twice the pairs of pants, skirts, and dresses I should at this point, and maybe three times the pairs of jeans and tops.

It is getting a little easier now to make decisions on what is going, but I am still not having the "sparks joy" moments with the clothing. I also find that I want to keep one or two “emergency outfits” but I’m fighting it. Today I put four of my vintage dresses into a donation bag, and that would have been unheard of before. Well, they'll make someone else happy.

Emergency alert in the night

There was an amber alert lastnight at 11:36pm regarding the abduction of an 11 year old girl by her father. Woke me up. Not complaining about that, that's how it works.

A second emergency alert came in at 12:21am to cancel the amber alert saying 'child has been located.' Oh good, I thought, the little girl is safe. Not sure I needed to be woken up again, but then again it's good to know the emergency is over, and it meant anyone actively involved in searching for her could stand down, so it makes sense.

Emergency clothes

Darts was cancelled tonight due to the crap weather we're having, so I came home and went through the jeans I have left after going through them lastnight. Put another five pair in the donation bag, folded the rest and put them away. I still think I have twice as many as I should though.

And I discovered a stash of another five pair.

All in the jeans

I've been slowly going through the clothes, but I had to move away from tops for now as I was putting too many aside as 'maybes.' Wednesday last week was the only day I could work on it and I didn't make very much progress, and I was away all weekend.

Ah, there it is

I had plans after work tonight, so I was unable to make any progress with the clothing. However, given the absolute agony my back was in after two nights spent on the couch, combined with galavanting around Casa Loma on Sunday, a decision had to be made.

Where did my bed go?

So yesterday I started the KonMari in earnest, by pulling out all of the clothing in the drawers, hanging on rods, and piled up clean in the laundry baskets, and I stacked them all on the bed - separated by pants, skirts, tops, dresses, and cardigans. It’s rather daunting to see it all at once, I knew I had far more clothing then I needed but it really does make a difference seeing it all together like this.

Detritus

Conversation we had on vacation last week: what word were you pronouncing wrong in your head for years before finally hearing someone else say it?

The coming purge

I know the trick is to do everything exactly as Marie Kondo says, in the order given, but with the available space in my home severely limited - I have no storage locker so everything from my last place is all stored in every available area, making for a very crowded space that I think will need to be tackled in two stages rather than as a whole - I have decided a little prep-work is necessary.

Sorry

Yes, Canadians say 'sorry' for a lot of things. This is a form of 'social lubricant' - a nicety we perform to keep everything ticking over nicely and avoid friction. Some non-Canadians see it as a weakness, like we're trying to belittle ourselves before others to make a less likely target of aggression, but we see it as just how you let people know they matter. We were raised to be nice people and think of others.

On being female at a bar

public signage via
This Japanese Life

So lastnight at darts we played a team of lovely people we always enjoy (they take way too long smoking between games, but that's a minor thing). We were at their pub.

There was a rather obnoxious drunkard at the bar who kept throwing coasters at us while we were playing - he was throwing them specifically at one of the other team's players and obviously thought he was being cute. I'd had enough and shouted across the bar at him to cut it out, he took offense and shouted he wasn't throwing them at me, I replied that I didn't care and would appreciate it if he'd just stop.