can I improve my napping ability?

I read things, I hear things – there’s a buzz that naps are good. I am truly gifted at falling asleep at night. In fact, sometimes I am gifted as early as 8:30, sitting in my chair supposedly reading or watching a movie. My sleep talent has been known to overwhelm me then.

Based on my nighttime sleeping, I should be a natural at daytime sleeping. It’s just a small transfer of  skills, right? But I have no natural aptitude for napping. Perhaps I simply need practice. I set the (loud) timer, went to my bed, laid down, and – nothing happened. I suppose I rested quietly for 15 minutes without agitation – but is that the same as a nap? It wasn’t painful, but not what I’d call fun either. I don’t feel especially refreshed now that the timer has rung and I’ve gotten up from the nap.

I’ll repeat the napping experiment a few more times. Maybe it’s something I need to do x number of times and then it will suddenly click for me.

reimagining – Thing 1 and Thing 2

John and I are preparing the loft for sale, with the goal of listing it at the end of the summer. Our friend/realtor suggested some changes that will put our home in the best light for selling. We knew that major de-cluttering would be necessary. In addition, we’re changing some furniture arrangements and some colors in our space. I started the work yesterday. This weekend we have a lot of cleaning, hauling, and rearranging to do, on the road to Sell-ville. Surprisingly, we like some of the changes very much.  Our eyes will be looking at different things now, compared to the way we’ve lived in our loft for the last 10 years. It will be amusing to live with a new perspective for a few months. We realize that “a few months” could drag on for a year or more. In addition to making the place look as attractive as possible, we hope for compassion from the mortgage/banking gods, so that the person who falls in love with our home will be able to make it their own. Unfortunately, I can’t influence the mortgage approvers to make the anticipated sale happen. However, I’m already enjoying the out-of-the-ordinary freshness of our revised home surroundings.

On a smaller scale, I made major changes to my resume today. It was liberating to chop off entire sections of my working history. I’m engineering the vision of myself that I present to potential employers before they meet me. Yes, it does make me think differently about myself.

new things

There is some novelty in my life today, some of it free, some of it costly-but-necessary, some of it very affordable.

I had a medical appointment early this morning. Two weeks ago, my doctor suggested that I get a bone density scan. Nothing’s wrong. It’s just a good time to get a baseline reading of my bone density. Or so he says. I interpret this as another indisputable sign of aging. This morning I took the train to the nearby medical center. At one of the train stations between home and my destination, there is an overpass being demolished and rebuilt. This work has been in progress for a few months already. A big section of the old bridge is already knocked down, leaving a clear area about a block long on either side of the train tracks.  This morning’s first (FREE) novelty was that I got to see a neighboring part of the bridge being pummeled away by bulldozer-type of equipment. The bulldozer was standing on top of the bridge as it punched away at the structure supporting it. Now that looks like a fun job – noisy, but fun. On second thought, maybe it’s only fun for about the first hour.

The second novelty was the bone density scan. That was FREE for me, but not for my insurance company. It turns out that a bone density scan is just a big fancy X-Ray. However, the machine does look shockingly expensive. It takes rather a significant amount of time, but I did get to keep all my clothes on – no need for an open-up-the-back medical gown. One part of the test was very relaxing, with my legs resting on a large block, as if I were reclining on the floor with my legs up on the seat of a chair. I should do that more often, with just my simple floor and simple chair. I can duplicate the relaxing part without the shockingly expensive machine. I assume the results will be sent to my doctor and I’ll probably never have the opportunity to look at these X-Rays of my entire legs and pelvis.

The BEST novelty is that the cranky old laptop with the seizure-inducing display problem has been replaced! Hooray for a new laptop! And I have the very best on-site Tech Support of anybody in the entire area. The new laptop cost a painful amount of money, but I will appreciate it every single day. It’s a very, very good novelty.

But wait, the day’s not over yet. Tonight I’m going to buy some tomato cages for my balcony garden.   I hoped to get tomato cages for Zero Dollars, by requesting them in a “WANTED” listing on Freecycle. But alas, I did not receive any replies. When I checked prices online, I was happy to discover that tomato cages can be purchased very cheaply.

I might not have a talent for these things

I’ve tried my hand at several new activities lately. Although the desire is mighty, the talent is just not there, so far.

First, there’s cleaning. How could this be a “new” activity? Unlikely, but true. In the past, I’ve been fortunate to employ a wonderfully talented cleaning service.  Oh how I loved coming home to a clean place on Tuesdays. In particular, I loved the way the hardwood floors looked. These are not pristine hardwood floors. These floors are 100+ year-old maple, original to this building.  Over time, these floors have been scarred by a hard life. Which is to say, these floors have character and I love them. Wouldn’t trade them for new hardwood floors. But back to the cleaning story. Whatever my talented cleaners did, the floors looked great. In between the visits from the professionals, I would sweep the floor. That’s all that was required. I am no longer employing the cleaning professionals and I am now the boss of the floors. I’m sweeping frequently, but the floors never look as good as the results from the professionals. I am shocked that I am not instantly skilled at cleaning hardwood floors. I thought I could figure this out easily and quickly master the zen of hardwood floor maintenance. Not so. I’m going to have to rely on GOOGLE for more information about this. I have a new strategy for the next cleaning, in a day or two. I’m going to vacuum the hardwood floor, then give the floor a wash with a small amount of vinegar. If that doesn’t produce startling results, I think I’ll just send an e-mail to my former cleaning professionals and ask them to reveal their secrets.

Second, there’s my attempt at making arancini. I was so delighted when Shirley told me she had Aunt Rose’s recipe. I was pleasantly surprised by the simplicity of the ingredients. But my first attempt at making the rice balls was not a total success. During the frying stage of the production, many of the rice balls fell apart. I think I made a fundamental mistake because I fried in a small amount of oil – not fully immersing in a vat of oil. I thought my technique would be healthier and that the results would be basically the same. I was wrong. The results were not at all the same. Clearly I need more practice to create this food of my youth.

Third, there’s my recent interest in kettlebells. Yes, I’m interested. But so far that’s all I am. I am not skilled in performing the exercises. I bought a used copy of “Kettlebells for Dummies”, but my technique is not improving simply because I have the book in my home. I think I have to actually read the book and perform the exercises. Oh drat.

shiny stuff

I’m easily distracted by the shiny stuff in my life.

Novelty increases my endorphins, within limits. I mean, I don’t want to jump out of a plane, or go spelunking, or move to a country where I don’t speak the language or understand the currency. Apparently I just like to buy shiny stuff to get my dose of novelty. Even buying a mundane item is a nice use of my time. I like grocery shopping for this reason. I get to look at lots of pretty food in produce and if I walk through the aisles of packaged foods, I can marvel at the new ideas in manufactured food.  Friday I went to several different stores and was awash in my own purchasing impulses. There was a produce stand, a bakery, a meat and cheese shop, a kitchen store, and Penzy’s Spices.  And that was just the morning! Later there was a brief trip to a liquor store, which paled in comparison to the other food-centric shops. However, later Friday evening we were all glad the trip to the liquor store had produced ingredients for adult beverages.

Somewhere

I remember that “Somewhere” was a Sunday Scribblings topic that intrigued me a few years ago. If you don’t know Sunday Scribblings, check out this link: http://sundayscribblings.blogspot.com/

I’ve spent hours of my life thinking about somewhere else – the not-hereness of somewhere else is very entertaining. I’ve been restless many times, wanting a change of scenery. It’s a joke between John and I that when I visit a new city, I get easily distracted and frequently want to live there. This has happened multiple times. Vacations can be hellish for John to listen to me quickly become enthusiastic to uproot our lives and move somewhere. It’s a good thing that changes like this require planning, time, and money.

What’s attractive about the “somewhere”? In my most enduring “somewhere” fantasies, there are frequently mountains, the certainty of seasons, and green – mostly trees. There’s a city, not a town – with destinations for walking. The city part of the fantasy came true when we moved to Saint Louis in 1999. Living in the Central West End and then Downtown has spoiled me – now I love a walking life and feel quite lucky to have one.

Short list of current walkable requirements – affordable restaurants, library, grocery, public transportation, ATM. A river would be nice, because now I’m accustomed to having one nearby. Pittsburgh has three rivers – be still my heart!

I really, really hope that the next job I find will be within walkable distance. My friend Sarah says hope is not a strategy, so I am doing more than simply applying hope to the jobsearch. Here in Saint Louis, I telecommuted in the Central West End and Downtown, working from home for my last Georgia employer for two years. The work commute was nonexistent!  Then I worked in the Central West End briefly – walk to the train, take the train, walk from the train to work. Terrific travel, but alas, not the job for me. Then I worked downtown temping in 2002, then worked on the very edge of Downtown for several years – all very walkable. My last job was distant – but I was in a terrific carpool. Not walkable, though. Because I have those other work experiences, I know that a walkable job is very possible. I’m focused to find that job and make it mine.