Confused Woman!

I will soon be moving to a smaller place, and as a result, need to get rid of a bunch of stuff. One of these items is a late 1980’s console TV.

I was using it until last Christmas, when CF bought me a flat-screen TV. He complained he could never see the scores watching sports on my fossil TV. I wasn’t going to say no to a brand-new television, so the console ended up in the pantry.

It worked very well as a table to place my recycling bins on. However, it’s now time to say goodbye, since I have no room for another piece of furniture.

I’m having a hard time parting with it because there is nothing wrong with the TV. It’s in great condition, it’s just older than dirt, and no one wants it.

I called TV repair shops and they said no. Goodwill won’t accept televisions. I could put it on Craigslist but fear a serial killer will slaughter me so I’ll pass.

I’m disgusted at the thought of tossing it in a landfill when it works perfectly. It’s so wasteful but I don’t know what else to do with it.

I know this sounds weird, but I kind of feel sorry for it. I feel like I’m tossing aside a member of my extended family. I remember when my parents bought the TV, which was state of the art at the time.

I would spend endless hours watching music videos, dancing and singing along. My Dad would smoke cigars in the recliner and watch sports, as I would crawl on the floor gasping for fresh air.

Awww, those were the days, and now I have to say goodbye to my old friend. It’s been a great ride, buddy. Rest in peace in console TV heaven.

Hum the title along to the tune of The Talking Heads “Burning Down the House”.  It’s quite catchy and fun, until you actually have to downsize your house.  This is what I will be doing the next couple of months and I’m beyond excited (insert eye roll here).

Thanks to the bustling and thriving rental market, I have now been priced out of my townhouse.  The rent is increasing by sixty bucks and they will not negotiate.  The landlord said they could offer some “home improvements” if I renew my lease.  I’m thinking, yeah right, they’ll generously offer to replace all of my incandescent bulbs with fluorescent bulbs free of charge.  Gee, thanks.

The city and surrounding communities have such high rental rates I will be going from a three bedroom townhouse to a one bedroom apartment, with a seven year-old.  Oh boy, will this be fun.  I mean, she and I like each other and all, but there won’t be too many places to escape when we drive each other nuts.

I will also have to do a lot of purging, which is not all bad, except there’s a ton of stuff.  Part of me is looking forward to getting rid of things we never use but part of me wants to hug my inner hoarder and find a way to keep the CD’s and cassette tapes I’ve had since my teen years.  Snicker all you want, but that Paula Abdul cassette may be valuable someday!

As much as it will stink to downsize, it will be a relief to be free of sky-high rent and breathe.  One less monkey on anyone’s back will significantly reduce stress and actually allow enjoyment of life.  It will be a nice change of pace.

You know how it is….watching someone else do something totally stupid, whether in person or on America’s Funniest Home Videos.  I know how I am…I sit back, roll my eyes, and think to myself, “What an idiot!”  Well, today, that person was me.

I was leaving an evening appointment after a long day at the office.  It was an area I was familiar with since I had lived there many years ago.  However, I hadn’t driven there since they put in light rail and reconfigured the streets and signals.  Combine that with being tired and the sun shining in your face and it was a recipe for stupidity.

The first mistake I made was talking to CF while I was trying to navigate the streets.  To my credit, I was using the hands-free feature of my car, however it was a distraction.  I also had my visor all the way down since it was nearing sunset and I couldn’t see anything above eyebrow level.

I approached the intersection to enter the freeway and something seemed wrong.  All of a sudden, there wasn’t a signal telling me whether I could go or not.  I found myself partly in an intersection with the light rail tracks right in front of me.

Confusion set in.  All I could think of was where the hell is the stoplight and do I go for it or sit here and look like an idiot?  Calm prevailed over anxiety and I decided I didn’t want to chance punching it for fear of getting hit by a train.

I decided the best thing to do was sit and wait.  There were cars behind me and soon I realized that was where I should have stopped in the first place.  Cross traffic was going through the intersection so I waited for them and watched for the cars behind me to move.  I then figured it was okay to go ahead and enter the freeway.

Luckily, I was correct and all turned out fine.  I was very grateful I didn’t panic and take an unnecessary risk.  Although I felt like a complete moron sitting out in the middle of the road, I’d rather eat some humble pie than get hit by a train.

It didn’t hit me until I arrived at CF’s house how the outcome could’ve been much worse.  I was beating myself up for being so stupid when CF reminded me that my calm approach is what kept me safe and I did the right thing.  I may have been the idiot of the moment, but at least I didn’t appear on the evening news.

It’s hard to believe it’s August 5th already.  Just yesterday, my daughter had her last day of school and here we are, planning for the start of the new school year which is less than five weeks away.  We went from excitement for summer to the thrill of school clothes shopping.

Not that this year is any different from the rest, but it seems to me each passing year goes by faster than the last.  Maybe it’s because we are having a busy summer?  Maybe it’s because my daughter is getting older and involved in more activities?  I’m not sure what it is.  All I know is I want it to slow down.

I feel like I’m getting exponentially older as my daughter is increasing in age by twelve months.  It seems like her one kid year equals my five “mature” adult years and it’s not fair!  Why can’t we age a month for every 12 months they grow up?  I think that’s reasonable, isn’t it?

Before we know it, the summer will be over, school will begin, the leaves will change, and my daughter will turn eight.  It’s crazy enough she is starting second grade but what’s worse is that she’s almost as tall as me!  She’s slowly approaching chin level and that’s too close for comfort.  I better get her in line before she towers over me and I have to point my finger in the air to discipline her!