I am not the etiquette fuzz.

This started off as a bunch of chopped up sequential tweets, but I realized that's kinda going against the point I'm trying to illustrate.

I claim no prowess to the etiquette fuzz, nor do I claim ANY sort of continued experience with awful users.  But I have eyes and they read words that translates into my opinions.

When friends post reminders about social media etiquette, I always think "oh right. some people blow."  Some people will never understand what they're doing from the comfort of anywhere, isn't proper decorum.  But like how could people not know how to behave?  whoops. stop me right there.  Our world is filled with boneheads.  But still, basic niceties are so engrained into my noodle, it baffles me when others need to be suggestively hinted time and time again not to suck.  And by suck, I include both intended shenanigans and non-malicious bad choices.  I full on cringe when I see it happen, especially when people I know are the culprits.  eep.

Social media pushes boundaries, sets trends and makes life easier, harder or somewhere in between.  Cool - get that.  But instant access to almost anything has forgotten us one simple notion.  There are still analog manners we must apply to our digital personalities.  It's like going through school all over again.  But now, there's fewer people grading your work or scolding you for being a tool.  And right now I believe twitter houses the most offenders.

The other day a friend retweeted something that made no sense to me.  Honestly, there are many tweets I must spend time figuring out, simply because there's lots of acronyms and code words and truncations I'm not hip on.  get off my lawn.  It was because of the few people "tagged / included" (I don't know what it's called) that prompted me to write this.  The tweet seemed out of place to include a few particular names you would know, so I expanded it to figure out what it all meant.

That's when almost the entire display of a large desktop unfolded a non-nonsensical conversation between two people I don't know, who included several people you would know.  Holy hell.  It started with a memed picture and like "you guys rule" kinda thing.  Ok. Part of twitter's charm? is interaction with people you may not otherwise have an opportunity to do so.  But why should that make allowances to treat ones twitter handle like an object, rather than the person behind it.  I was appalled I tell you!  I felt so bad to read the "oh yeahs" and "cool" responses that any normal person would say dude, talk amongst yourselves.  No One Else Cares.

Name. That. Smell!

I can name that smell in like 17 hours.  maybe.  And that smell I'm referring to is the one emanating from our new 1960s credenza, courtesy of the Broyhill Brasilia collection.  Don't be mistaken, the lingering stench in my nose is not because the piece was created more years ago than I; but rather because it surprised me with funk, and gunk, and bugs.  MUCH more than I ever thought was possible in something that isn't that large.  Even with all this cleaning ahead, we still got a great deal.  So that helps.  hopefully.

A few weeks back, our 7 year old TV started heading towards Kaput Ave.  Well, actually, it started canvassing the neighborhood a couple years back when LCD red & blue lines started appearing on certain programs.  Then, when Travis was on his comedy road slip, giant blocks were now being eliminated.  I suggested we get a new one during every store USA's 4th of July sale.  GooooOOOOO freedom!

We did our research and settled on a 55", 4K, 3D TV with the what's-its and whooze-its, and apps.  get off my lawn.  I don't know all about it but it was new, cheaper than our current set and looked darn good.  On our way to checkout, I suggested we get a fancy wall mount since that's what grown-ups have, but Trav informed me the installation is massively complicated.  He suggested instead a vintage piece of furniture for the same price as the wall mount.  OK!!  We've been talking about that for a while and if in the future we get that wall mount, we'll still have another brilliant find.

After we brought the set home, I went to work finding a piece that would be both hawesome and functional.  A credenza or buffet, from the mid-century era has always been of interest to us.  So I looked on all my recycled/reclaimed/refurbished bookmarked sites as well as craigslist.  bupkis.  I next checked etsy and stumbled upon a local dealer with a reasonably priced credenza.  It needed a little polish and love, but looked great overall, especially the style.  Shoot, a former boss of mine refinishes wood, so I can always ask him for tips.  Saw it Saturday and agreed we'd buy both it and a 1930s dresser, something else I've always wanted!  hashtag Bakelite pulls.

We rented a van to pick up the pieces and met the seller at his local warehouse.  Before shuffling either one, I suggested removing the drawers because that's what you do.  Also, the credenza is made of walnut and that shits heavy.  Removing the buckets one by one, presented us with an unexpected HOLY HELL FUCK those drawers are nasty dirty.  2X that for the inside cubbies!  I didn't see it when we first looked at them because I was focused on ensuring it was a good piece, not how clean it was on the deep inside.  won't do that again.  With each drawer removal,  it got worse.  Dead bugs and dirt and a couple paper plates.  Cheap ass white paper plates stuffed under a drawer (luckily, no pizza grease.)  That's when the seller began to say "Well this is what you get when you buy from a dir...."  er umm.  "From a really strange women."  I just glare at him.  Before I could stop the insanity, he ran to get windex and paper towels.  He started furiously spraying the inside, untreated wood.  face plant.  I was able to stop him thinking I could just do a vacuum and a dust and everything would turn out ok...

That was a few weeks ago.

Today, the 1930s dresser has been dusted and vacuumed and spruced up.  She's safely inside with sweaters and scarves and other goodies tucked in place.

The 1960s Broyhill has been sitting outside, covered, because I can't take the smell.  My god, it's awful.  I spent 7 hours sanding the inside, vacuuming, sanding more, polishing, doing everything I can think of to remove whatever was living in there and what ever stench it left.  Luckily, there has been NOOOOO activity of living bugs.  It's all the dead ones that are almost worst.

We were recommended a guy north of us, who would clean and restrip the entire piece for $750. Gulp.

Another guy would clean with all kinds of stuff and sorta refinish the top (it has some scratches) for $250.

Finally, our next door neighbors have some friends who will likely do the same thing, but hopefully cheaper.  I'm waiting to hear from them.

Paying someone for their time, experience, tools and know-how is so worth it after my 7 hours did squat.  I will forever know that smell - it's ingrained in my sensories and if someone understands how to remove it - the money is well worth it.

_________________________________

As an investment note, the 1960s dresser in about the same condition as ours (sans smell,) usually goes for at least double the price.  So still, it's worth it.

Something is the keeper of the dreams.

I don't know what's normal and not normal for any one person to dream about.  Do all animals dream?  Do fish dream?  What about ants - yet I still question whether they actually sleep.  Do you have to have a certain brain capacity in order to achieve a dream state?  Are humanoids the only ones who would classify something as a good or bad dream?

Kids have baby versions of scary dreams.  Like I can't even fathom what I would have dreamt about that was so awful.  But I do know, I'd rather have ALL those back, once a week forever, in place for what's happened to my scary dream repertoire over the last 5 years.

My dreaming profile certainly includes the odd balls, where nothing makes sense but gives you a laugh when you wake up.  The emotionally heightened & intense, which isn't really sexual but rather connecting with someone on a VERY deep level.  And the final bucket would be repeat performances of the stress induced.  I never even knew what that meant until I started talking to Travis about them years ago.  He said he's always experienced them as a kid, which totally sucks!  meep, I had my naive card showing the whole time.

When you have more responsibility, more bills, more environmental stress, your mind translates that into a series of fucked up visions, whispers of ideas rather, and we wake up confused and playing therapist to ourselves.  Or with our mentor, google.

A list of common my story lines:

• The entire city is on fire.  I'm usually at my parents actual house where giant bombs are dropping overhead.  I have to constantly look up, so I can move myself and my pets to protective shelter, while the bombs explode nearby.  I'm screaming and running as fast as I can... oh and the bombs change direction at a whim.  So even when you think you're safe, you might not be.  So far, I've avoided meeting my maker.
• Demons, goblins or leprechauns with nasty teeth chasing me in what feels like the Halloween or Poltergeist movie "city." It's always dark and misty and late.  very late.  No one else is ever with me, on the streets or in the houses.  Desolate, but not abandoned.  I hold my breath while they get close and sniff the air.  They are quick, but I'm smarter.  My only enemy is the lack of ability to run.  I try and try but I can't - so I resort to clawing my way against the pavement, hoping to just find an escape.  So far, they've never caught me.  Or maybe they are simply lurking in the shadows, waiting for the prime moment...
• Trying to run away from something or someone and being unable to.  This is more generic, I know, but it does happen outside of the one above.  Deep inside the little voice just keeps repeating run, run, run from the thing.  But instead I'm up against invisible hands, pushing against my shoulders, keeping me back and closer to It.
• The biggie - being chased by a baddie and then killing him.  It's always with a knife, by the mercy of my hands.  It's me and only me who confronts them before I kill them.  Like no joke, stabbing/slashing/thrashing/slicing - the whole bit.  Anything I can do to eliminate this life because he was after me.  Who, by the way, is NEVER anyone I know.

fun.

Occasionally, but never the same trigger, I'll have an anti-inception moment.  It's not a dream within a dream, but rather a self statement of you ARE dreaming, wake up yo!  When I do raise my eyes and catch my breath, I'm shook for days.

How - how can complete and utter fiction impact our lives on either the pleasure or pain extreme?  The brain is the most powerful computer and yet I struggle to write eloquently in my open state.  But shoot, fall me asleep and watch that story seed weave!  It's like we're two separate people, each writing different points of view for the same storyboard.

Maybe my night can influence my day - that's wild.

Toodle-ooo, cheese-a-rino.

Long time vegetarian; first time dedicated vegan.  Today is my last day as a vegetarian and I'm feeling uber excited for my health and physicalyness.

Travis and I have been a coupled vegetarian for over 10 years.  Even prior to meeting one another, we both had dabbled within the full plant realm, but it never stuck.  Who knows the reasons.  However, one night watching TV in my very first apartment, we saw a program on "how they make baby chicks."  We looked at each other and that was all she wrote: no more meat.  No fish either - some people allow this but we didn't.

My history of meat: At this point, I had not eaten red meat for over 10 years.  No hot dogs, burgers, beefy things.  I never ate fish so this was a moot point.  I only ate chicken and turkey because I didn't realize other protein sources existed.  The transition was extremely easy.

Trav's history of meat:  No hot dogs or steaks, but enjoyed a good burger of high quality.  Chicken and turkey like me.  Sushi... that was his weak link.  He loved a brilliant spicy tuna roll or filling his belly with albacore.

We are not preaches of lettuce, but will talk freely if someone asks.  We don't judge others (unless you're a dick then we'll judge you for other reasons,) because that's not our way.  But our reasons are simple: We can't complete the process, so we won't take part.  It just doesn't seem right.  There are also significant environmental impacts and quality concerns with societals' food demands.  I don't need to find a soapbox because google is perfect for that; just makes a person think.  And if all that wasn't enough, turns out we feel a helluva lot better; so why the fuck not.

For all the health and timing reasons, Travis went vegan a month ago.  But before I could join, I was requested by him to "finish up the cheese so we don't waste it."  ha, ok.  I can do a few last moments with goat cheese, crackers & dill.  I made my way through our stash at home, but today our book club hens got together for a non-book club BBQ.  I knew the type of food this group enjoys, so I decided it was a prefect timing to say goodbye.  I bid adieu with a plate of feta, parmesan and home made ice cream.  fin.

I'm truly an excited bird.  It's TOTALLY rad - argh I feel so good!  Like I said, we've been cooking mostly vegan anyway since it's easier than cooking two different meals.  I've researched recipes, alternative products, all with rounding success.  It's not even a being in Los Angeles thing, it's an education thing.  Pushing ourselves to think differently about food and what works for us.  Think about it - it's like learning to cook for the first time, all over again.  Making mistakes but getting some fantastic results that we want to share with everyone.  To show people it's not all flax and patchouli.  Maybe help show my parents it's not a phase.  hmm, just me?  We've grown to embrace lentils rather than various soy meats.  What's not to love about cooking (strings windmilled) BLACK LENTILS?!

 And each night, Trav & I give ourselves a smiley health sticker and happy feelin' good sticker*.

* vegan desserts are definitely part of our diet, but generally contain less sugar.


Here are some of our favorites sites, if you're curious to see what all the hubbub is about:
The Post Punk Kitchen
Chocolate Covered Katie
Oh She Glows
Vegan Buttermilk Biscuits


Plus, the oodles of great vegan restaurants all around us, winning even the veggie faint of heart.   Here are some we LOVE:
Vegan Plate
Shojin (HOLY CRAP THE BEST VEGAN SUSHI-promise)
Bulan Thai
Doomie's
Native Foods
Adama (Santa Barbara)

A Sticky Situation

A friend sent this article/video to me off-line and since I haven't seen anyone else post it, MAYBE it's my turn to be the first to share.  Then again, facebook settings are so whack maybe everyone IS posting but they've chosen to hide from my timeline.

whatever - here's what I wrote on facebook and shared with my friends.  But we all know how social media works and having a single classification of "friend" isn't right.  So anyone I wish I could move to a new bucket, will likely rant to their spouse later about how wrong me and the scientists are.  {cue flicking hand to the underside of my chin.)

 _________________________

I actually almost cried. It puts the greed and ultimate disregard & destruction of our planets' natural beauty and resources (which yes people, keep us alive) into the most simplest of terms.

Society demands new gadgety technology to make our lives better, yet the demand to truly revolutionize our worlds energy into something sustainable AND profitable is an afterthought to most.  Why?

LEGO in the business to make a profit Get it.
Shell is in the business to make stupid amounts of profit and they don't care how. Hate it, but get it.
Together they both slightly benefit - but at what cost?

In as much as I have a responsibility for my actions and the perception of who I hang out with, so do business'.  I think.  I can't keep it straight which corporations are/are not people and what they can/cannot decide for us. That's kinda a stupid thing to even question.

But the responsibility to partner with another company DOES reflect upon thy own self and makes me believe they are ok with said other corporations' actions.

razzle frazzle... pffft. Just a couple of thoughts on why 'Stickin' it to the Man' really takes on a whole new meaning here.
Greenpeace / LEGO ad