Where have I been?

Long story short?
Moving.

We found out at 10pm on Saturday that we needed to be moved out by 3pm Sunday. This totally ruined my plans to minimize my possessions as I moved- we had to throw it all on the truck and throw it into the new house and then go back for more. In the end it took 4 truck bed fulls and 1 very stuffed firebird to move me and I was pretty ashamed at how much junk I STILL own.

I was very glad I had already consolidated my plants and gotten rid of some of my furniture but I still had ridiculous amounts of things.

I do love my new place though- it's very peaceful and i don't have to worry about the negative energy that was coming from my old roommates who I think got a little too used to taking out their relationship problems on me.




- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Sea Shells by the Sea Shore

I went to the beach this weekend and had a wonderful time. I love walking at the water’s edge and feeling the sand pulled away beneath my feet.

Roxy faced the water bravely but the waves were big and she is so short that I think after her first face splash she wasn’t too keen on it happening again, she did really seem to enjoy chasing the waves in and out though.

When I go to the beach I always look for shells, in particular I look for the kind that twists in on itself, I’m not sure what kind of creature lives in these shells, I guess sea hermit crabs?

Anyway, I found the BIGGEST one I have ever found it was beautiful, pale orange and super smooth and 3 times as big as any I have ever found. When I got back from my walk I triumphantly showed it to my boyfriend and his best friend Danny who, of course, were not as excited as I was “It’s broken, it’s a piece of shit- throw it back” were the exact words Danny used to describe it. I knew it was broken, but it looked so pretty anyway and it sounds so lame but I actually felt a pang of sadness when he pointed it out, I almost threw it back.

But I didn’t and as I type it sits on my monitor stand and looks beautiful and I don’t mind the blemishes one bit.

I guess since I have had such an awakening this year that something as simple as a shell has made me think a lot more than it would have in the past. Questions kept turning over in my mind:

·         Why are we so obsessed with everything being perfect?

·         Why is our automatic reaction to anything that is broken is that it’s a “piece of shit” especially something as trivial as a shell?

·         What is the difference if it’s broken or whole? Is it somehow more aesthetically pleasing if it’s whole?

·         Does it mess up the ZEN of the shell?

·         Does anyone collect broken shells or are only the whole ones the special ones?

 

Danny’s parents have a really nice beach house that we were staying in and in the bathroom on a shelf were several large shells on display, I’m not sure if  his mother found them or if she bought them but it made me think: If the shells were broken would they somehow not look as good? At what point does a shell go from being a thing of beauty to sea trash? Who decides?

 

Also (this is probably the hippie in me speaking) but, aren’t we essentially stealing sea-hermit crab homes from their rightful owners?  Are the whole ones prime hermit-crab real estate?

Back to the Ring?

Returning from a recovery period after my last foot injury I'm back at my boxing gym, training 4 days a week, I'm not as good as I was before my injury and it is very frustrating. My coach is a big proponent of negative reinforcement which makes it even harder for me, but since I'm almost 30 and i have hurt both my feet training and can no longer wear high heels or any shoes without my orthotic inserts without pain, I have realized that I can only build myself up so quickly.


Mentally I'm ready to get in the ring and start sparring but for now I guess I will just have to be content with a slow steady progression towards the ring.






This slowness can be applied to many aspects of life. I feel ready for a promotion but am not eligible for another year, i feel ready to buy a house but my credit does not allow appropriate financing. Bummer.

I've found the key is to step back and evaluate what exactly it is that I am after. For example, boxing for me is a way to make myself stronger and become able to defend myself(by knocking mf's out with 1punch) I would like to do amateur boxing, but I recognized early on that my 5'5" 110lb tiny boned frame won't ever be able to be a pro boxer, since then I've gained 15lbs of muscle and become bigger than I thought possible, so I'll admit I secretly dream about going pro and facing off against Holly Holm.



....and prolly getting my face crushed, much like this chick. But it is still a dream I have. The flip side is tho, to become a pro boxer you must become a boxer. It's not a sport, it's a way of life. It's going to bed sore every night, not drinking, not eating anything but health foods and protein shakes, not having a social life and barely having time to walk your dog.



This week is a prime example, I've been at the gym till dark after work every day this week and will be tonight. By the time I get home I'm almost too tired to walk my doggie so she gets an abbreviated walk and it makes me feel just terrible.

So I have been asking myself what it is exactly I'm working towards in the ring. I want to spar a few times a week. That's it. I like fighting, being punched and punching people is actually enjoyable for me but realistically I have so many interests that I'm not 100% committed to becoming the next Preachers Daughter....but a girl can dream can't she?

Attack of the potted plants!

In preparation for my move I have decided to do something about the overwhelming number of plants I have at my house. I'm not sure exactly when I crossed the line from a few houseplants to 35 very thirsty air purifiers but I did. The problem is, I can't kill any of them- I feel too guilty. It's corny I know but I literally feel like I'm taking a life, even if I plant one outside I can't stand the idea of a tropical plant being frozen to death in the cold Virginia winter weather.

I did figure out a way around my predicament- mainly to consolidate more then 1 plant per pot and/or to give them away(then someone else can murder them)





So I got a biggest pot I could find (left over from last years attempt at a water garden) and put 4 plants that take similar amounts of water and light.
This solves 2 problems, the overwhelming number of plants to water and the number of pots I have to move in August. It came out looking pretty cool- I added some pea gravel that I found in the garage & random rocks & shells to make it look super classy too.



Now I've only got to move & water 1 huge-ass pot that won't fall over instead of 4 small ones that would've probably fallen over in my truck and gotten soil everywhere.

I also planted several small plants into my green & yellow pots that match the red one so I've got this cool rasta plant set up that I love.




I also consolidated 5 more plants into 1 pot and gave it and 3 others to my friend that recently moved to the mountains.

I also *cry* took 2 of the plants and added them to the compost pile- sometimes plants must die so that people may live lol

I still have more to deal with - probably about 15- 20 more but I'm hopeful I will find homes for them soon :-)

Sunday Morning

It's Sunday Morning.
As usual I have "things to do."
And also, as usual, it isn't possible for me to get it all done and all I really feel like doing is watching Stargate SG-1 & napping



I've been reading a lot about limiting your projects so that you don't feel overwhelmed, but sometimes I feel like that isn't possible- I'M IN TOO DEEP.

Maybe if I make a clear list of my major "To Do's" and a list of what I want the result to be I will make it more clear in my mind.

Thangs I HAVE to do:

• Maintain the manor (my over sized house I rent with 3 roommates)
• Laundry
• take care of my dog
• work- day job
• work- boxing gym

Things I am working on:

• BOXING- training to fight
• L.A.M.B. Ebay store, FB page
• Firebird repair
• candle making
• getting rid of all my extra stuff
• Day bed & other extra furniture
• Clothes
• Drum set
• garage stuff (tools, old paint, extra firebird parts, used oil, ect)
• basement stuff (decorations, ebay shipping containers, shoes, hobbie/craft stuff, ect)

Things Id like to have going on (that I don't):

• have at least an hour a day play time with my dog
• 20 items listed on ebay all the time
• firebird consistently running
• clean house
• clean bedroom
• have my LAMB facebook page updated
• happiness
• simplicity

It's tough trying to establish priorities, and I fell like I need to get it ALL done in the next 2 months because I plan on moving out - I guess the firebird is the major priority, its been waiting the longest and I probably won't have a garage wherever I move but it is also the most discouraging to work on because it never ends and involves multiple trips to the auto store and or calling my hot rod friends to get advice on the best way to do stuff.

The "getting rid of stuff" seems never ending also,  last summer I read a book titled "The Joy of Less" and it got me motivated to CLEAN HOUSE, I can't even remember how many garbage bags of stuff I have taken to the thrift store (at least 20). Though it has been tough since I have roommates that aren't of the same mindset and their clutter seems to take the place of mine. My goal is to have only things that I love & need by the time I move out at  the end of July.

The Ebay store goes hand in hand with the "getting rid of stuff" since lots of what i own is second hand designer stuff that I bought on ebay (yaa for credit cards, boo for debt). An ebay store is a lot more of a hassle then you would think, listing is a chore, ppl bombard you with all kinds of questions and then you have to ship and deal with rude buyers if they miss read the description or are just a** hole people....grr. OKAY, this is rapidly turning into a bitch fest...I'm gonna go try to get some stuff done, I'll keep you posted :)

Better to have and not need than to need and not have?

Monday was my 28^th birthday. Birthdays have always been a sore spot for me, while growing up my father was not a fan of celebrations and almost every birthday I can remember ended with a family fight- as I got older I started planning vacations. I work in an office in a little tiny cube and I have realized that if I am at work on my birthday I go a little fight-club-crazy and it’s not good for anyone.

I almost always go to the beach. Which isn’t really the best choice, since my birthday is in mid -May and I live on the east coast so the beaches are usually very cold. But I have never in my adult life made a trip to the beach (or gone on any other vacation for that matter) that was not on my birthday so I hesitate to change the tradition. This year was different though, the weather & water was warm (for once) and I went to Myrtle beach (mad props to my bf for paying for a hotel & gas). We went for 3 days and I over packed…like I always do.

I use what my friends and I have come to call the “grab & stuff method” of packing which involves brining every single thing u think u could possibly need and shoving it all into your bag, sitting on it and making it zipper.  As I was doing it I recognized that I was and that I would probably regret it later once I had an exploded-barbie style closet to deal with every day. But my mind kept going back to that saying “it’s better to have it then not need to, then to need it and not have it” I’m not sure why at the time I thought that applied to extra bathing suit tops but b-day weekend logic is always a little senseless.

Here is what I packed:

·        2 sweaters

·        2 bathing suits

·        1 long sun dress

·        1 short sundress

·        2 bathing suit covers

·        3 pairs of shorts

·        2 t-shirts

·        2 bathing suit tops (top only)

·        1 pair of jeans

·        1 pair of capris

·        1 mini skirt

·        3 club/dressy-type tops

·        2 wifebeaters

·        2 pairs of sandals

·        1 pair of flats

·        1 pair of sneakers

·        Leather jacket (it was bike week)

And I actually wore:

·        1 sweater

·        2 bathing suits

·        2 cover ups

·        1 pair of sandals,

·        1 pair of sneakers

·        1 bathing suit top

·        1 pair of shorts

·        1 sun dress

·        1 pair of capris

·        And also 1 new t-shirt & skort that the bf bought me (NOT MINILMIST AT ALL- but they looked so good on meeee L )

I think the worst part was that since my duffle bag was so full I kept leaving my cloths around the hotel room like some kind of drunkin stripper…not very classy. I am going to make better decisions next year on what I bring…I’m not sure why I was so worried that I might not have the right thing to wear… it is MY birthday after all J

In the Big Inning there was BASEBALL....

I have decided to start blogging about my approach towards adopting minimalism and simplicty and how it is intertwined with the single minded dedication it takes to become a boxer.

I have become dispirited reading about people that have been able quit working and move to the country and sell their cars and are so happy and free they could spit.  It’s easy to say “You don’t NEED your job.” when you are not living paycheck to paycheck and don’t have aging parents dependent on your financial success for their retirement.

I love reading all the interesting blog entries about people’s transformations from clutter to zen in their lives and houses but i am not as free as many people who have thier own space. Right now I live with 3 people in a rented house, 2 of them are hippies that are not willing to part with a single piece of their collected clutter and seem to always have some kind of drama or disconetentment going on in their lives that somehow ends up being blamed on me.  I have minimalized my possesions or at least started to….but the clutter is still a very real issue in my house and I am not at liberty to de-clutter it all.  I have found inspiration in the oddest places though and I would like to share that inspiration with anyone willing to take time and read my blog.

So this is my little blog where I will attempt to provide my mini input. Maybe no one will read this and it will be my own private sounding board and that’s ok with me…what’s more minimalist then speaking when no one will hear?

“The ability to simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary so that the necessary may speak.” - Hans Hofmann