Thursday, September 11, 2014

On My Own

This prompt from Mama Kat caught my eye this week:

Write about what it was like to live on your own for the first time.

I’m sure that a lot of those who choose this prompt will write about their twenty year old selves but I guess that I’m a “late bloomer”.  I lived with my parents until I was twenty and then moved in with the man who would later become my husband.  I always had a safety net; someone who could pick up the slack if I was sick or between jobs.

This changed completely when, at the age of thirty four, I left my husband.  All of a sudden, I had my own place; MY VERY OWN!  The lease and all of the bills had only my name; I was responsible for everything and, quite frankly, it was exhilarating.  Please note that the last year or two of my marriage had been so stressful and painful and just the fact that I wasn’t trying to hold together a crumbling marriage anymore was enough for me to hear angels singing in the background.

When I left him, I cashed in an investment and went out and bought all new things.  I bought dishes, pots and pans, towels, furniture, sheets and a dozen other things that I could go on listing.  I took very little from the house when I left for two reasons:  first, I couldn’t clean out the house since our kids would still be living there half the time and, second, I truly wanted a fresh start.  As a matter of fact, when he saw my new pot set he was a little envious and offered to “take it off my hands” if I wanted the set we already had.  No way Bud!

I fell in love with my new place…… MY place…… because it represented a new chapter in my life.  I was no longer this sad, broken person whose kids saw her cry far too often, who was in a downward spiral that she had such a hard time breaking away from.  I’ve had some tough times, financially, but seem to have things pretty much under control these days.  I still have a “lean” week now and then but I’m definitely swimming more often than sinking and I’m very proud of that.  My kids have a hard-working mother who supports herself and them, giving the three of us a pretty decent life.  In this respect, at least, I am definitely a positive role model.

 
I have always been a bit of a homebody but I’ve gotten worse in the last ten years.  I don’t know if it’s because I love my apartment or if I’m just getting old.  Maybe I won’t explore that question too deeply…..

I have come to enjoy having my own space so much that I’m not sure what I’ll do when Mr. Right finally emerges from the vast sea of Mr. Wrongs and wants to be let in.  I guess that I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it.  

Kathy

Tuesday, September 9, 2014

Taking a Facebook break...

So, in my last post, I mentioned that I took a bit of a break from the internet during my vacation.  I barely touched my computer and feel that I’m better off for having done it.  I’ve been taking another break lately though that has lasted the whole summer.  With maybe a couple of exceptions, I haven’t been on Facebook since early June.

Believe it or not, the world didn't end without Facebook!

Gasp!  I know; it’s incredible!  What do we do without the time-suck that is Facebook?  Many of us have a hard time answering that question.  Now, I have been posting my blog links to this blog’s Facebook page but my personal page has been utterly neglected all summer and I haven’t really missed it.  I do admit that I do kind of miss seeing friends’ pictures and some of the jokes but there is so much that I don’t miss. 

For some reason, I have some friends who think that it’s their mission in life to post dozens of pictures of missing dogs, abused dogs and dogs that are available for adoption.  I get it; you like dogs and want to see people “adopt, don’t shop” but overexposing the people you know to your message backfires when they stop looking at your posts.  Enough is enough people! 

The same thing goes for those who are trying to sell something.  I’m glad that you’ve started up a home business selling makeup/Tupperware/vitamins but I really don’t need my news feed to be full of it.  I have one person on my friends list who is selling makeup and, believe me; I’ve seen enough gunked up eye lashes to last me forever.  The stuff doesn’t even look nice……

Then there are the people who overshare their issues or (just as bad) put up cryptic status updates that hint at something wrong.  If your grandma died and you’re sad about it, by all means, please share so that the people who care about you can express their sympathy and perhaps help you feel better.  You had a fight about money/child care/etc. with your ex?  I’ll take a pass on that one thank you.  We all screw up sometimes and write something that we regret later but there are some people who skip the regret part and just keep doing it.

Will I go back to Facebook?  Of course I will.  We all get sucked back in eventually.  Like it or not, this is how so many of us get our news not only about what is happening with our family and friends but also in the world in general.  I’m feeling a little bit “out of the loop” here but not so much that I’m ready to cave in (yet!).  I still check in on Twitter on my phone so I’m not totally out of touch with the world.

Have you taken a Facebook break and, if so, how long did you last?
 
Kathy

Thursday, September 4, 2014

Fall Lineup

I have just finished two weeks of vacation and am feeling very well rested.  I didn’t travel anywhere or do much that was exciting.  As a matter of fact, I was home for most of it spending time with my nose in a book or fiddling with my iPad.  I did get out a bit but, really, the past two weeks were about relaxation and recharging my batteries.  I was mostly offline including taking a break here on the blog.  A part of me missed the interaction but taking a break from everything is just what I needed.  I barely touched my computer the whole two weeks and don’t regret it.

That said, I’m back to work now and the kids started school this week so we’re back on a normal schedule and that means that it’s time to get my butt in gear and get back to writing.  What better way to do that is there than hooking up with Mama Kat’s Writer’s Workshop?  Well, no better way, of course!

I am SO looking forward to the upcoming cool autumn weather!  The summer heat can just bite me…..  I love autumn and all that comes with it – cool weather, beautiful colours, comfort foods, pumpkin chai and, of course, the season premieres coming up on TV. 

I put up a post recently with the trailer for Season 5 of The Walking Dead and am excited beyond words for it!  I was late in the game, only picking it up on Netflix this past February and now I am absolutely hooked.  I can’t believe it took me so long to start watching this amazing show.  Now I can’t wait for the   October 12 season premiere!


I’m also looking forward to the premiere of Grimm.  This show just keeps getting better and better.  They have amazing talent on that show and do an excellent job of bringing legends to life.  Also, I NEED to know if the Captain is okay; the last time we saw him, he was in an ambulance with multiple gunshot wounds!

Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is another show that I have gotten into.  They left us wondering, at the end of last season, how S.H.I.E.L.D. was going to come back from utter ruin as well as how the team would recover from the betrayal that they suffered.  I’m looking forward to plenty of action this season!


Another long-time favourite, of course, it The Big Bang Theory.  Sometimes, when a show has been on long enough, I will start to lose interest but this one just keeps me coming back for more.  The actors and writers on this show deserve the awards and praise that they receive.  I think one of my absolute favourite episodes is the one with Howard’s robotic arm – I laughed myself to tears over that one and still do every time I see it. 

 
The last one that I’ll list here is Sleepy Hollow.  I thoroughly enjoyed the first season and can’t wait to see what they do in Season 2.  The finale this spring left Ichabod being buried and Abby in another realm altogether and I’m looking forward to seeing how they get out of those fixes.  This is a well-imagined series that I really hope sticks around for a while.

This is some of the fall programming that I’m looking forward to.  What are you looking forward to?

Kathy