1st World Problems

The shower floor was filthy. It had only been a week or two (or perhaps three), since I had cleaned it. With a sprinkling of baking soda, I scrubbed while listening to Portlandia on my laptop. The abrasive was working, but I needed a bit of water. I removed the shower hose from the fixture and slowly turned the water. As the pressure increased, the hose whipped around the stall spraying water out the door. Not a problem I thought. I had a dirty towel on the floor, which I could use to wipe up the water. As I turned around to clean up my mess, I knew I was in trouble. My laptop had been drenched.

With the closest towel in hand, I gently mopped up the water on the screen and keyboard. I thought I had saved the device, since it continued to function. Foolishly I did not turn it off until a few minutes later when the screen started acting up. It never turned back on. I was devastated. Dave suggested putting it in a container with rice.  My brother called and reminded me that I have Apple Care. My hope was renewed. Dave made an appointment for the next morning.

With my three companions in tow, I headed to the mall and the Apple Store. I checked in with the concierge who asked me about the problem. As soon as I mentioned knowing why my computer didn't work, he told me that water damage was not covered by Apple Care. I was crushed. He tried to make me feel a bit better by assuring me that someone would check out my baby laptop to see if anything could be done. The kiddos quickly picked up the iPod Touchs and began playing. We waited. As the wait progressed, the knots in my stomach grew.

Finally someone was able to help me. He listened to the problem and then took the computer to the back. It wasn't good. The chime began and then it would immediately shut down. With my hard drive in hand, he told me the news. A huge lump formed in my throat as he showed me the screen indicating the cost. I started blubbering. He tried to help, but all I could say was that I didn't have $755, and I had to get my kiddos. With my new paperweight in hand and my bewildered kiddos, I left the store crying.

My brother called while I was leaving the store. He immediately deduced that there was a problem when he heard my voice. Openly crying at this point, I hung up as I had to leave the mall with some of my dignity intact. When I returned to the car, we exchanged texts. He reminded me of Monty Python's The Meaning of Life(the "always look on the bright side of life" song). That made me laugh. A lot. We also talked about the fact that my household is very fortunate to have other computer options available. The loss of my laptop is a 1st world problem. Also true. That youngest brother of mine is pretty wise.

So, I no longer have my laptop. With some help from my brother, I am hoping the data on my hard drive is salvageable. Despite knowing better, it had been too long since my last backup. I am posting as I can on our main computer, but I may be a bit quiet until I can scrounge up enough funds to replace my machine. I am embarrassed to even admit my sadness and anger, as well as my public breakdown. I know it isn't the end of the world. I will adjust, but for today I am sad.

Flowers I bought on the way home from the Apple Store. They make me happy.

Keeping House

Over the last few months I have ignored cleaning. Our house isn't in shambles, but it isn't clean either. The kitchen and bathrooms have been cleaned, and the laundry has been done. Aside from that and a bit of picking up, the house has not been cleaned. This has allowed me to be a more relaxed mama and more present with my kiddos. It also gave me a break from feeling as if all I did was clean up after people.  However my house is disgusting, and it is driving me crazy.

I walk by the shutters and see the layers of dust punctuated with tiny fingerprints. The blinds in the kitchen block the bright summer sunshine when closed and proudly display flecks of food and layers of grime. The carpet has a dirty, worn path where food and muck from the kitchen is tracked throughout the house. The walls have smudges and black marks where hands have travelled. Piles of paper threaten to topple at the slightest brush. The back patio has becoming overgrown with foliage. It truly is a mess, and this week it is changing.

I couldn't stand it any more. I realized no one else in the house was concerned, so if I didn't like it, I had to change it. This means I have been busy. This weekend, I tackled the walls in the kitchen eating area. They were speckled with bits and bobs of dried food and drink. Next was the miniblinds. I truly hate miniblinds. I am not sure why they were invented. They are impossible to clean and they are ugly. Armed with a rag and cleaning solution, I cleaned the evil slats. I also cleaned both bathrooms top to bottom. The floor was my next project, but I was distracted by the kiddos. Who wants to clean when there is fun to be had.

Today I returned to work. I trimmed the bushes and trees in the backyard. I even hosed down the patio furniture and the toys which occupy the space. Benton came out to help me and enjoyed spraying the patio himself. He watered our small garden plot, and I added some vermicompost. Together we then planted a few seeds in our humble garden. We now hope to grow a eclectic mix of chard, kale and spinach. Luckily they can be used somewhat interchangeably, because that is how they are planted. The space looks so much better and inviting now. With the weather cooling slightly it is a space we enjoy for relaxing and eating breakfast.

Once inside, I continued my cleaning of the window treatments. With the miniblinds out of the way, the shutters were the next task. I went through 6 rags cleaning them. They were so dusty! The house already feels much cleaner. The view out of the windows seems brighter. It has been a long time since they were dusted. It is my #1 hated cleaning chore. I will clean every bathroom twice before I dust. It seems like such a pointless task, but it is so nice when it is done.

Tomorrow is the kitchen floor. After that I will concentrate on more purging of my stuff (still working on the yarn reduction). The garage should be tackled as well, but I will wait until the outside temperature is below 100 degrees. In the meantime, I will continue to grab small bits of time for fun and knitting.

Seed Stitch Cowl and Hat finished today and photographed on my clean patio