Paring Life

Part 2 Day 29: BLU Light Therapy Device

2011-12-11T23:55:00.000-08:00

A dear friend once dubbed me a Bellwether. An entity that serves to create or influence trends, according to Wikipedia.* I can't recall a trend that I've started but I thought I'd make a list of the trends I would like to start.

* The work dish towel. Having a dish towel at work is awesome. I use it to try dishes and my hands and occasionally spills.
* The babushka look. Why don't more American women rock this look? It keeps your head warm without leaving you with hat hair.
* Composting. When I moved in to this apartment, the property manager told me I could put my food waste in the bin of a house they rent out. "Oh good!" I said, "I didn't know what I was going to do if there was no yard waste bin!" "Throw it in the trash like everyone else."

* She was referencing the wonderful novel Bellwether by Connie Willis. Connie Willis is a goddess of science fiction. She has won 11 Hugo awards and 7 Nebula awards. If you haven't read her yet, start now.

Amazon link

Status: Dibbed

Part 2 Day: 28: Memory Foam Backrest

2011-12-10T23:55:00.000-08:00

I bought this for my office chair but then I made them buy me a snazzy new ergonomic chair instead.

Amazon link

Status: Dibbed

Part 2 Day 27: Poker chips

2011-12-09T23:55:00.000-08:00

I still like poker but I don't think I'll ever be motivated enough to host my own games. I have too many other games to play!

Status: Available

Part 2 Day 26: Wits & Wagers

2011-12-08T23:55:00.000-08:00

Wits & Wagers is an unusual trivia/party game. You don't win by knowing the answers but by betting on who you think does. It's a pretty fun game but it doesn't get any playtime in my family because we have other favorites. Bananagrams and Pictophone.

My mom, especially, LOVES Bananagrams. At the beginning of the game she always declares that she's doesn't perform as well against us young folk but amongst her generation she usually wins. She wins with the same frequency as the rest of us. Then she will play something ridiculous like "ZEROX," which is wrong on so many levels.

We have some talented artists in the family!

Status: Dibbed

Delays

2011-12-08T22:32:00.000-08:00

My camera battery died and I can't find the charger.

Part 2 Day 25: Cribbage board

2011-12-07T23:55:00.000-08:00

I first learned how to play cribbage at Holden Village, a Lutheran retreat center that my family used to visit. Cribbage was all the rage at the retreat center that winter. I picked it up quickly so that I could challenge a boy I had a crush on. We played an intense match and I came out ahead but he was a poor loser. He said he would never play me again, and cribbage was a gentleman's game so I was not worth considering as an opponent.

Status: Dibbed

Part 2 Day 24: Tracing paper

2011-12-06T22:10:00.000-08:00

This tracing paper is left over from a graphic design class I took at the School of Visual Concepts. It's an interesting class; contrary to what you might expect, no computers are used. Everything was designed using either pens or collage.

Status: Dibbed

Part 2 Day 23: Elder Sign

2011-12-05T23:31:00.000-08:00

This game is a shorter, dicier version of Arkham Horror. Arkham Horror is an epic, 5+ hour Lovecraft inspired game that involves battling monsters and getting sucked in to other dimensions.
It's awesome if you can find people patient enough to play it.

Unfortunately, the five hour commitment is enough to scare most people off. I'm a little bit hardcore so once, in absence of other players, I tried to play it by myself. I didn't even think to play multiple characters. It was a mistake and I don't recommend it.

Status: Dibbed

Part 2 Day 22: Careers board game

2011-12-04T23:55:00.000-08:00

Remember "The Game of Life"? This game kicks Life's ass. At the beginning of the game, you set a secret goal of some combination of money, fame, and happiness. You attend college and go on adventures in attempt to achieve your dreams.

Recently I looked this game up on Wikipedia and discovered to my chagrin that a "Careers for Girls" edition had been released at some point. In the girl's edition, you can aspire to be a school teacher, fashion designer, or super mom. Way to ruin an awesome board game.

Status: Available

Part 2 Day 21: Foot scrubber thingy

2011-12-03T23:55:00.000-08:00

Remind me to tell my parents not to get me any random items for Christmas. In fact, consider this a message to all of you that I'd rather not receive gifts unless you're feeling inspired. I do condescend to buy gifts for my immediate family at Christmas but that's it. The rest of the year, I buy gifts because I see something and I think to myself "I will regret it forever if I don't buy this for ___." And then I give it to ___, regardless of the holidays.

This tool for improving the softness of your feet has not been previously used.

Status: Dibbed

Part 2 Day 20: Wine-colored Belt

2011-12-02T23:55:00.001-08:00

This belt was a gift from my middle sister, making it especially difficult to give away. On the other hand, my sister and I understand each other in away no one else does so she will not be offended.

We weren't close until she was out of college and I was in my mid-twenties. Four years is a significant gap when you're a kid. As we entered our twenties, we discovered that we did not know anyone who understood the particular hardship we'd been through. Friends are good for support and sympathy but it's not the same as having someone who has experienced it themselves. I'm thankful that we've become close as we've matured in to adulthood.

Status: Dibbed

Part 2 Day 19: Gloomy bear clock

2011-12-01T23:28:00.000-08:00

This adorable clock was a gift from a friend. It mostly works, except the minute hand keeps getting stuck on the hour hand. A creative person could work around it!

Status: Available

Part 2 Day 18: Crockpot

2011-11-30T22:37:00.000-08:00

Note to Aurana: If you come back to Seattle and need a crock pot again, I will gladly buy you a new one.

Status: Dibbed

Part 2 Day 17: Gourmet Smarts

2011-11-29T20:46:00.000-08:00

My parents gave me this game for Christmas one year. I think it's food trivia.

Status: Donated

Part 2 Day 16: Toaster

2011-11-28T18:43:00.000-08:00

This toaster was left behind by my sister but I've been hanging on to it for the rare occasions that I have bagels in the house. I haven't used it since June.

Also, I'm still super exhausted.

Status: Donated

Part 2 Day 15: Facebook swag

2011-11-27T13:51:00.000-08:00

I generally avoid taking home swag but I couldn't resist this Facebook bag.

Status: Dibbed

Part 2 Day 14: Samsung netbook

2011-11-26T23:55:00.000-08:00

This weekend kicked my ass so I'm going to be lazy for a few posts.

I'm passing on my netbook to my youngest sister. I bought it because I was uncomfortable bringing my expensive and heavy Macbook Pro to coffee shops. Now I have an Air, which I adore.

Status: Gifted

Part 2 Day 13: Predictably Irrational

2011-11-25T17:32:00.000-08:00

This book is awesome. You should definitely read it.

Status: Dibbed

Part 2 Day 12:

2011-11-24T23:55:00.000-08:00

Now that I'm getting rid of my Xbox, there is no point to keeping the remaining Rock Band games and the mic. I'm giving them to the guy who dibbed the Rock Band drums and guitars because it only seems fair to let him have a complete set.

Status: Gifted

Part 2 Day 11: Halo 3

2011-11-23T22:58:00.000-08:00

There was a time when I was decent at Halo. This was back when I lived with my boyfriend (at the time) in Lake City. My choices were either to watch him play or learn myself. The toughest part was getting over the motion sickness. I had an opportunity a while back to talk to someone who worked on a popular FPS franchise and he told me that it's a field of view issue. There are ways to hack it but allowing people to adjust their field of view can give some players a huge advantage. It seems like they could just add a setting for people who get motion sickness and call it good.

Status: Dibbed

Part 2 Day 10:

2011-11-22T23:16:00.000-08:00

I'm a big fan of Penelope Trunk. I was laid off a couple years back and spent a lot of time reading career blogs. I think I've read almost every post she's made but it's possible that I missed a year. I don't agree with everything she says but she's great for helping me think about things in a different way and I've learned a lot about myself from reading her blog.

I am not giving away my only copy of the book. If I recall correctly, the book went on sale when my credit card was stolen. Anyway, I had my friend order the book for me. The book was delayed for months and he ended up moving and emailing Penelope to have it shipped to my address. Through a mix up, she ended up sending a copy to the original address and my current address.

PS. She left a lovely comment for me in April.

Status: Dibbed

Part 2 Day 9: Xbox 360

2011-11-21T21:14:00.000-08:00

I once dreamed of owning every video game console and now I'm here giving away the last one. I've loved video games since second grade (or earlier!) but didn't acquire a console of my own until I had income. I had to make do with convincing friends to let me play on their Nintendos.

I was an unlucky child in that the closest friends with a console didn't like playing video games. They were not thrilled that I always wanted to play Mario instead of My Little Ponies. I was eventually accused of only hanging out with them because of the Nintendo. They were only partially correct - I enjoyed their company, I just loved the Nintendo more.

The Xbox is going to a friend with the dreaded combination of kids but no $$. I'm sure the Xbox will be much happier when it's back to being used for legitimate gaming instead of a Netflix streaming!

Status: Gifted

Part 2 Day 8: iDevice speakers

2011-11-20T13:25:00.000-08:00

I bought this so I could listen to my iPod in my bedroom and promptly lost my iPod. I have no clue as to its whereabouts and am not inclined to buy a replacement.

The iPod was intended to be used for jogging but I've discovered that I prefer running without a soundtrack. My apartment is in a lively neighborhood and I find that headphones disconnect me from my surroundings so I don't appreciate them as much.

Status: Dibbed

Part 2 Day 7: The Entrepreneur Equation

2011-11-19T23:55:00.000-08:00

I don't buy many books so I'm not sure why I decided to buy this one. I'm down to about two shelves of books and would like to get down to one shelf of books if possible. My love for the manga Skip Beat! is getting in the way because it's already up to twenty-five volumes.

Status: Available

Part 2 Day 6: Bracelet from Yellowcake

2011-11-18T18:00:00.000-08:00

There have been many times throughout my project that I have thought to myself, "Why bother going through all my little odds and ends? They aren't really getting in the way, I just toss them all in a drawer." It's a false premise. Getting rid of big stuff creates space but getting rid of the little stuff creates tidiness.

This bracelet came with a dress I purchased from the lovely and talented Valerie of Project Runway fame. She is one of several successful designers on the show who were already well established on Etsy. She still sells her designs for very reasonable prices at Yellowcake and I will not hold it against anyone who shows up to a future event wearing the same dress as me.

Status: Available