Hummus and By-Laws: They All Fall Down

I received my new food processor bowl and blade today. I am excited to not have to think of the broken appliance sitting in my cupboard. I will now think of the functional appliance sitting in my cupboard waiting to make hummus, and chop onions when I am just too lazy.
Today my soon-to-be co-op booked some consulting time for next week. I don’t have the time or energy to figure out how to best set up shares and write our by-laws, etc. Now we have someone to help us. That is nice.
I am counting down the hours until tonight. I have a meeting about a separate project, and I am praying that the Creator will keep the decision makers on the same page. I get frustrated when people assume that I’m a kid from the way I look, but I don’t always feel fit for some of these adult responsibilities. How did I get this life?
Now it's time to talk about a case of the "crazies". I tend to have crazy experiences right before I fall asleep. I “see” things. Last night, I “saw” one of the walls in my bedroom fall down. It was pretty scary. I think I yelled. It took me a minute to process that I can't very well in the dark, and that my wall was still intact. I think it had a lot to do with the episode of “Arrested Development” that was on CBC yesterday. It was the one when they built the model home; during the ribbon cutting the house fell apart. Lucille and Uncle Oscar and the Blue Tobias. Man that show is funny.

You've Got Something on the End of Your Nose

I have been realizing more and more that I have a lot of rules guiding my life. We all do, I know. It's just that I am becoming more cognizant of just how snotty many of my rules are. These rules include coffee, alcohol, food, clothing, music, tv, movies, shoes, pants, pants, pants, just to name a few. I remember meeting a really nice boy once and deciding within minutes that I could never date him because I didn't like his pants. I know. I'm sick. 

The second last time I was in Vermilion, I filled up my car at the station on my way out of town. I decided to get a coffee. I don't do gas station coffee. It's not just because of the ethical issues surrounding coffee, it's because I don't do gas station coffee. I didn't even bring my mug, and had to use a paper cup. I tried to play it cool like I did that sort of thing everyday. You know, drive my car and buy coffee in a paper cup from a place that also sells air fresheners and pepperoni sticks. I thought I did a really good job of blending in. I tried telling this story to my folks the last time I visited. It was during the re-telling of the story that I realized that I have a little bit of the crazies. I think my taste is better than most others because I don't roll up the rim, and I think TH coffee sucks. 

I have lectured friends on buying cheap alcohol. Music is an obvious one that many of us have succumbed to (does a "your favorite music sucks" t-shirt ring any bells??). I feel far too justified in my snobbery. Church music is another obvious one. Sometimes it's really good, sometimes I go to the bathroom three times. I have an attitude problem. The biggest part of my problem is that I like my attitude problem. It's become part of my identity and I find it comforting. 

My predisposition to dislike things has been recently challenged. Now, this may come as a shock, but I started watching the television show "The O.C.". I tried to keep it under wraps for awhile because, without watching it, I believed that I disliked it. I thought the world was stupid for liking it. I believed myself to be a much smarter and discerning television watcher than the average O.C. viewer. Holy shit. What else have I missed out on??? I'm not intending on changing most of my snotty positions. Tim Hortons will always suck, and no one deserves to be drinking a ten dollar bottle of vodka. No one. But I might be missing out on things. Maybe I should just give myself the chance to like things. Maybe I would be better off judging a person based on their understanding of world events than on their pants.  

(I'm listening to Danielson right now. How would you rate me?) Please still be my friends. I promise I won't judge your pants. Your alcohol, maybe. And your pants, but I'll keep that one in my head.

Garbage Season No More

I am borrowing a table from a Chinese family. My former kitchen table was terribly rickety. I could have worked on it to make it wobble less, but I didn't. Instead I decided to spend time on this new table. It was a pretty beat up pine Ikea-esque little number. A bit of stain...and voila! This was my first time using stain. I'm excited about all the possibilities that have now opened up. I predict over the next 10 years that I will spend approximately 7 months staining things. 

This new table was what I needed to reorganize my kitchen. It uses the space differently, and I got excited. I even organized my flours and finally gave away my popcorn and cornstarch. It was time to say goodbye for good. 

I finally looked at my food processor. I tried to ignore it for about 2 years. Somehow the main blade got stuck in the bowl and it's impossible to get them apart. I tend to freak out about stuff like that. I would rather be spending my money on seven dollar loafs of bread and sneakers than replacing something 

that I already have. I did a little search on the information superhighway, and I found replacement parts. I felt a sense of freedom with finally dealing with the stupid piece of plastic. I will no longer have a food processor sadly taking up room in my cupboard. I will have a happy, useful food processor taking up room in my cupboard. I am going to process so much food, just you wait. I just feel great. My place feels great. Even my fake pets feel great.  

Could Not Be MORE Pleased

I do not know how I managed to survive eight months as a full-time drop in worker. Holy heff. A couple of the full-time drop in staff were sick this week, and I found myself migrating downstairs to take some of the heat. Working in the drop in was hands-down the hardest job I have ever had. It wasn’t even super busy, but people were rowdy. Very very rowdy. I am upstairs today. That is nice.
I finished watching that show this week. It was good to get it done. I have my life back again. It was a very intense month of tv. I think I’m through with television for awhile, or at least until next Thursday when The Office starts again.
Last night I met with a few of my future co-op friends. It was great. Jessica is opening up a bank account for us today. I have really been appreciative of all recent tangible advancements in my projects. I feel like everything in my life is taking too long, and I’m feeling impatient and discouraged. But, we are opening a bank account today to pool together funds to pay for our incorporation fees, and for the consulting group. I have been dreaming of a housing co-op for years, and it’s finally happening. But it’s not how I imagined. It is happening without some of the people that I thought would be involved. I'm a bit saddened that the rules of marriage are keeping some of my loved ones from being my neighbour. I try to pretend that I understand. I don’t. It makes me sad, and I feel a bit rejected; but I have a handful of wonderful friends that are pleased to be my neighbours (and these kids know how to party). Now co-op friends, if you are reading this, do not be alarmed. I am very very happy that you are joining me in this venture. I could not be more pleased with you (unless, of course, one of you was a beautiful boy who likes talking about the ecosystem of (fill in the blank), and who finds me more awesome than weird. But, that is not the case). Friends, I could not be more pleased with you. I am excited that we're working together.
I am blogging instead of working. Today is the last day of a crazy crappy week, and I am writing this instead of case notes. Good for me. And because you all are so enthralled with my body-talk... I think that I may damaged my stomach with the chocolate/cheese/corn adventure over Easter. I was getting better and I feel like I'm at square one again. It makes me cry a little when I think of it. That was stupid. And tasty. And stupid. And tasty. But mostly stupid.