Out of the Box

This is one of those First World Problems that one feels a little silly complaining about but bothers me so much that the triviality of it is overridden by annoyance.

Kleenex boxes Y U so Ugly?

The past year or so, the kleenex boxes have been such soothing colors as Sears Tuff-Skins brown and denim. I think they're trying to represent a more masculine demographic but no. The other decorative options are overly girly with purple, pink or yellow flower blossoms. There appears to not be a gender neutral option. The other brands aren't much better either. The other brand seems to think it is 1987 with its metallics and bright colors.

If you're still awake, the point is that I've found a work around. I do like the yellow flower box so I figured out how to open the box without ruining it. If you've ever been curious as to how the tissues are configured, it was a tiny bit interesting. Clearly, I need to get out more

I can take out my annoyance by opening the ugly box, taking out the kleenex, and then putting it in the pretty box. A bit of invisible tape along the seam And no one is the wiser. Well, until now.

I took a picture to show the offending box but it looks nicer in the picture than in reals. As if mocking me for such trivial concerns.

The Door to Happiness

I've always disliked how dark our laundry/mud room is.  It had a solid door and no windows so there was absolutely no natural light.  As a bonus, there were no extra outlets to plug in a lamp. 

I finally decided to buy a new door.  It's been on my wish list for quite some time and the other day, I just up and decided.  I phoned Kevin and told him I wanted a new door.  He suggested I look online and choose while he phoned his dad to get measurements. Then we would go get one.

Next thing I knew, my father-in-law had my new door in the back of his mini-van.  He said he was going into town anyway but I suspect that was a fib.  I rarely want for anything beyond books and simple things so I was surprised at how quickly Kevin and my father-in-law jumped into action.  A lesser person could take advantage. 

I assumed it would be an unhook the old one and put the new one in but not so much. Because things are never that easy in my world.  Luckily, one of Kevin's crew is a carpenter.  He came home with Kevin the next night and two hours later, we have a new door. 

It feels like it has changed the whole house. Suddenly we have tons of natural light.  Kevin asked if I was going to put a curtain on the window for some sort of privacy.  As it looks out at the rock garden and the road is ten feet above the door, I feel no need.  Also, we live in a secluded area, it's not like there are people walking by at all.

It needs painted. It turns out our old one did as well but we just didn't know.  It was fun to post on the facebook to see everyone's opinions.  Mostly, people said red.  I've always liked the look of a red door but we think it might look silly on a sage green house with white trim and shutters.  I'm leaning toward a glossy black, or maybe a pretty grey.  My sister-in-law and childhood bff said a dark green and I like that idea as well.  We have a few months to decide so that's good.

I just love how this door has improved the house and my mood.  Some of the best money I've ever spent.

What I Think About in The Middle of the Night

When I have difficulty falling asleep or I've awoken from a bad dream, I've found that if I think about a movie from the beginning, including character names, plot, or whatever; I can usually fall back asleep. Thinking about my favorite movie seems much more soothing than any late night terrors that might be on feature that night.

The other night the finale of Friends was playing. I was having difficulty relaxing into sleep so I tried to decide What happened after the last episode.

This is what I decided:

Monica and Chandler's kids are just like them except the boy is like Monica and the girl is just like Chandler.

Rachel & Ross moved in next door to Monica, because of course they did.

Phoebe and Mike stayed in the city and had twins named Cake and Plate but their nickname is "Joey"

Joey bought Monica's apartment and fell in love with Janice's sister, who looks just like Janice but isn't all Janice-y.

The imagination is a fun thing when it's late at night.

A New View

I'm working from home today.  It's only the second time I've done it, I think I like it, and I need to do it more often.  It's quiet and the only interruptions I get are the puppy suddenly barking at NOTHING WHATSOEVER that tests the strength of my heart.

The new job is still a little weird.  I haven't fully adjusted to Not being the manager of all things.  There are other people doing that job now. (yes, People not person. *shoulder brush* wink*)

I still don't have an official title.  The executive director wanted it to be executive secretary, which doesn't reflect my job AT ALL. I've just simply put "Communications" on my letterhead and figure that makes more sense than the Carol Burnett title that was suggested. (Click here to see Mrs. Whiggins)

I do spend my day on the interwebs.  I manage all the social media which is fun, mostly but does get a little "Gah, what am I going to post today."  Such a terrible problem to have, really. Did you just tell me to shut up?  Okay, fair enough.

I write press releases, newsletters, thanks you's & acknowledgements. I create invitations, posters, and announcements.  I have some data entry and reports to do and that gives me a little anxiety, not because I can't but because it's all new now.

What I didn't think of was that I don't see my "friends" anymore.  I don't see the donors, clients, vendors, etc. every day.  This has kind of bummed me out but I worked around it by telling my favorites to just come back to my office to visit.

My favorite thing is that I can play whatever music I want to.  I have a rock & roll station playing most days.  If the place is busy, I just put my headphones in and buh bye everyone. This makes me happy on a ridiculous level.  The radio played Eminem yesterday and I was excited that I didn't have to dive for the channel changer.

Another good thing is that five other people came to work with us: Five! Five different personalities and ways of doing things.  It made me realize how small our organization really was.  They have lunch together most days too.  At first I kind of resented having to stop working to eat (I know.) but now I'm a little bummed if it doesn't happen.  Also, we can talk about current events and popular culture, which hasn't happened in years. 

All in all, it's going well.  More positives than negative and that's a really good thing.  Although I think I knew how ready I was for a change, I really didn't know.

You Have to Love Seattle

Today is the celebration parade for the Seahawks.  There was a Moment of Loudness designated at 12:12 pm and the parade currently has more people in attendance than the entire population of Seattle.

I've never seen anything like it.  I've never seen this region get behind something like the 12th Man has.  It's incredible.

I was looking at the Seattle Times online and realized a very important notation on the parade route:

Coffee shops are a requirement, not a luxury.

It is also to be noted that at least one Starbucks along the route is out of mochas.

Go Hawks!