Loudtwitter summary

What was happening with me yesterday? Oh, right:

• 08:26 End of the year donations to make? Give to Play After Play to support growth of children's laughter: eepurl.com/ghql
• 10:56 Toyota is fixed! Woohoo!
• 10:59 No more expired-in-2005 NO brake tag (new windshield). Surprisingly sad little milestone for the car #fb

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2009 First Lines etc.

January: So, I got busy with offline things like trying to keep my house clean and going on vacation and haven't posted in ages.

February: Spent all day inside, which was quite pleasant.

March: DH took advantage of the not-raininess yesterday and mowed the front yard while I put up the CollidEscape that should keep the birds from braining themselves on our front window all the time.

April: Blueberry muffin success, after initial setbacks.

May: I love that my local paper e-mails me the headlines daily, but it's an impediment to picking up the physical paper off the driveway.

June: Donated some $$ to CA State Parks in hopes that we will still have state parks after tomorrow.

July: Hi, livejournal, long time now write, right? (on the 20th)

August: I need to sit down and write a post for ALL OF AUGUST that I have been silent, but not right now. (on the 19th)

September: House across the street does not look lived in today.

October: The first of the month is when I (a) flea treat the critters (b) pay my car insurance premium (though it's done by automatic debit so it's not so much that I do it as I have to remember that it will happen so the funds are where they are supposed to be) and (c) take all my measurements

November: 4.5 lbs down this month.

December: And I've lost another 5 lbs.

Heh, this is going to be REALLY boring next year if I keep to that particular habit of tracking weight and fitness of the first of each month. Which I plan to because it is handy for me. Sorry end-of-the-year meme of next year!

Missed the really important stuff, I guess the big things don't happen at the turn of the month, or possibly I just don't write about them, which does kind of sound like me. In short, 2009 has been pretty rough, 2010 looks to be better in terms of my immediate environment. As far as things that are under my control that I might make resolutions about, I don't even know. I've been happy with my diet and exercise plan and will just continue with that. I'd like to do more crafty things - I have a box of yarn to turn into a sweater and I'd like to get my acorn lace up to a usable length and, I don't know, do something with it, and my sister is giving me a loom which is very exciting. I'd like to start quilting if I can come up with a small and easy project to begin with - I've got a nice quilt shop not far away and picking out fabrics is really fun (to the point where I had to buy two fat quarters with no project whatsoever in mind for them, but they were too cute to pass up and on sale...) so I ought to figure out some way of using them. That's all mostly a question of finding the time and energy, which I have ideas about.

But, really, that's just a matter of figuring out scheduling. These practical questions tend to work themselves out in a reasonably satisfactory way.

The deeper questions - how do I make myself a better person, what am I supposed to be learning from all the crap that's gone down - I just don't know. And I'm not sure I want to find out. It's a scary prospect and I haven't decided how to handle it, yet. It would be convenient to be able to figure something out today, but I don't think that's going to happen.

Car #1 Back in Action, Almost

So, we got the Toyota back from the shop, all shiny and driving great and wonderfully aligned, and only costing us our deductible. Which is great. I assume our premiums will go up next opportunity, if only because we'll lose a no accident discount, but I'm not too worried about that. Insurance prices seem so reasonable in California compared to Louisiana.

Sadly, one of the things they had to replace was the windshield, so the Brake Tag from 2005 is gone. It's a weird thing to get attached to, but I was fond of that little souvenir. Ah well, I still have the UNO parking stickers on the back window.

We didn't notice when we picked it up, but the front license plate is gone - lost, one assumes, in the crash (along with the bumper cover). Unfortunately, we discovered this by getting a ticket. I haven't seen it yet, I don't know if there is a fine, I am hoping for a fix-it ticket as that would be sensible, but if there is one it shouldn't, I hope, be too much. The more worrisome part is DH says he can't see how we are supposed to attach the plate to the front bumper, but I imagine our friendly neighborhood garage will be able to help with that. It needs to go in to get all its fluids and such checked - new engine. I can't believe how much trouble this car has been the last couple of months, but better than having to buy a whole new car somehow.

Volvo is overdue for its oil change and tire rotation and alignment, too. Next week...