Gone but not forgoten

So I know it's been forever and a day since I updated and I don't really have any followers but I wanted to just give an update and make some goals.

Since I last updated, I've actually moved three times, each time to a smaller location.  Currently I'm renting a small bed room in a three bedroom house and have the smallest room of the bunch. I share a small lounge with one of my roommates and have access to the kitchen and some small storage in the basement.  My last place I had a loft bed, which unfortunately broke, but I was able to salvage the under loft desk. I still need to put up a few more shelves so that I can put everything up I need/want in the room, but considering the room is 14 by 12 I'm pretty happy that I've got a functional space (a little dirty but functional).

The other be thing I've been working on is my finances.  I'm diligently budgeting using Mint.com and have several savings goals that I'm actually putting money into. I'm actually setting and most months sticking to my budget on things from bills to food to health care to entertainment/socialization.  While I'm trying to cut back on the fast food, the fast pace of my life (and my poor health some days) fast food is necessary.

The last big thing I've done is adopt the horse I've been riding for the last two years in January.  He's now stabled 40 minutes in traffic from my new house instead of an hour and a half. Having him so close means I'm getting to see him more and getting much more exercise than before.

Speak of exercise I've actually lost 50 pounds since November.  Most of it's from a change in medications, though some of it is going back to protein smoothies at least once a day. The other big health issues (besides all the medication changes) are that I've been diagnosed with Fibromyalgia and I had to have my spinal cord simulator system completely replaced (all new hardware, three major incisions, a new and improved battery with a motion sensor).

My goals for the next six months are pretty straight forward:

• Meet or be on target for my savings goals (an Emergency Fund, the Horse Fund, and an Upgrade Electronics Fund)
• Go through remaining boxes in garage and either put up in room or store in basement
• Cut fast food expenses to no more than $50 a month
• Go back to all loose leaf tea for the Keurig at the house and at work instead of using K cups
• See the horse three times a week, riding him at least twice a week

Purging and Packing

When I moved into my current place two years ago I thought I did a pretty good job of purging before I packed. Well, I've found quiet a few boxes that never got unpack. So I've found new homes for those items and I can start working on everything else.

My idea is to divide and concur one small area at a time. Each area will be sorted into Keep It, Toss It, Donate It and Sale It. This way when moving day finally comes I'll have less to move and maybe a few bucks in my pocket to bribe movers with.

My goal for today was to pack up my desktop and computer desk. I managed to get it all in two boxes and have a nice little pile of things to list on Craig's List.

If I can keep it all up, I'll have my free day off (next Friday) to tackle my closet, which includes, clothes, magick, craft and storage. Thru OurLittleApartment I was introduced to Project 333, which I've already taken the first pass at my wardrobe and will be finalizing when I get to packing my closet.

Knitting Progress

My vacation is going well. I've only received one call from the office and managed not to look at my blackberry today. I've finished reading JA Konrath's Shot of Tequila and been knitting away on my latest attempt of an afghan.

New Knitting Project

I haven't knit anything in a while, so with my up coming vacation/time off from work I thought I'd try and entertain myself with a new knitting project.  Since I knit with 13 needles I went looking for a project that I could attempt.  I had picked up a shawl/afghan book when I was traveling for work last year but my project  turned out way too long and not wide enough, and I haven't felt like deconstructing it since it took five skeins to complete (so I just wrap it around me a couple of times).  But I think I found a project that I can manage not to make the same mistake on.  And so I shall be attempting the Purl bee's bulky baby blanket.

Wicca

Wicca and the specifics of my spirituality are something that I don't often get a chance to talk about with though outside my Circle (aka Coven) and my very very very close friends.

Like many witches, my path has been very eclectic and until recently very informal in my "training".  In mid-2009 just as I was ending a serious relationship I found a wonderful local Circle that was beginning it's third year.  Over the first year and a half I would attend rituals and take classes as my schedule and budget allowed.  Then all of a sudden this past year my spiritual growth took off and in the span of one year I have completed the spiritual work of three years.

Let me take a step back.  The Circle holds regular rituals open to all members and has a five year Priestess training program for those who would like to pursue it.  Each year of the Priestess training program is considered a Degree.

Over the course of my first year and a half with the Circle I completed my First Degree.  Over this past year I have completed enough work to account for my Second, Third and Fourth Degrees which fully catches me up with the founding members of the Circle.  I was never really trying to catch up to everyone else, but as the events of the last year have unfolded my jet-propulsion thru my spiritual work has kept going.

An additional requirement for my final Degree is to study a healing modality.  My High Priestess teaches Reiki.  I had had some Reiki session and like it, but never had  any interest to actually learn it.  As I moved thru all the spiritual work I actual opened myself up to Reiki and have now completed my first two Reiki Degrees and am in the process of obtaining my Reiki Master/Teacher Degree.

If you told me a year ago that I would not only have completed 3 years worth of Priestess training but that I would actually be taking Reiki I would have told you that you were blowing smoke (apparently that was sage you were blowing at me).

Vinyasas

One of my favorite things about yoga is that you don't have to Gumby to enjoy it.  As a non-normally-abled person the initial though of yoga scared the bejesus out of me; I'm pretty sure the first time someone suggested to me I looked at them like they had three heads.  But after taking several classes and talking with several instructors about how to adapt yoga to my abilities I've really grown to love it.

Sadly as my battle with fatigue has been worse this year and consequently I've fallen out of my yoga practice, which included two- and three-minute mini-office-yoga breaks, a short morning vinyasa for stretching and the occasional course of Sun Salutations.  So as I had my annual check up with my primary care doctor she reminded me of how great yoga is and got me thinking about ways to try and work it back into my daily life.

In an attempt to gently ease back into my practice I've decided to share with you my current morning vinyasa:

Warm Up:

Cow and Cat Poses

Vinyasa:

Dolphin

Child's Pose

Cobra

New Year (a little late)

Well, this Radioactive Duck has been swamped (and stressed) with work. I won't bore you with the details, suffice to say that even with insomnia there has been little room for anything more than work and family drama. So as I try to reintegrate myself into blogging, the post may be short and more sporadic.

For the winter holidays I received a new custom corset that fits me even better than my first custom corset. There is definitely a learning curb in figuring out the measuring and fit, and even more so when your corsetière is not local. My new burgundy and lavender corset upgraded the front busk to a spoon busk and I'm very happy for this splurge. Currently I'm only wearing it 1-2 times a week, but can go about 9 hours with a 3-4" reduction. I hope to be feeling up to wearing it more during the week as 2012 progresses.

Corset Ramblings

While recoeving from surgery I've been enjoying reading Corset Magic which happily arrived the day before surgery. My favorite part of the entire book is when proper corset wearing is describe as being like getting a hug from an old friend. 

This is the corset I currently have, and have had for a while.  It's from Empire Intimates, http://www.empireintimates.net. We have a love hate relationship.  

The good:  it's reversible to all black, the hip flutes.  

The bad:  it's overbust and my cups overflow (for lack of better word), the boning is not top quality.

I am eagerly awaiting my first custom corset from Romantays, http://romantasyweb.com.  This corset is going to be a Victorian underbust.  My plan is for my new corset to be foundation wear, assist with my back pain and posture, and perhaps even assist in my healthy weight loss goals.

Now I know corsets have gotten a bad rep in some feminist circles, but I feel that corsets can be used to enhance femininity without restricting me to someone else's ideals.  It's like how feminist are taking back "bitch" and "cunt".  Now those are not words that I having taken back at as feminine empowered words.  And I know this brings up the what is feminism discussion, as has been discussed over at Five Seed.  Which brings me to my self-image.

In the past I have had problem with my self-image.  But through a lot of hard work, emotional and spiritual, I've much improved how I see myself.  Surprisingly, I see myself much different than I appear in pictures, even resent pictures.  I've somehow learned to look beyond the outside package of my physical body.  When I look at myself, I see so much more than what's physically on the outside I know see what's on the inside too.  Ok, that's gone off on a tangent that I wasn't planning to so I'll stop here for today.

The One Time I Plan to Talk About My Diet and Eating Disorder

With the new leaf that Ducktales is taking, there are some things that I want to address in this blog and others that I will focus on in other outlets.  

Part of living smaller and greener is eating a better diet and generally living a healthier lifestyle.  Like many people I have tried an array of diets over the years in hopes of battling the bulge that seems to be inevitable in America.  However dieting lead me down a dangerous road in the past and I have much anxiety around diets these days (which leads to me self sabotaging the diet).


As a child I struggled with my body-image (and truthfully still struggle with it to this day), which concluded in me making several bad decisions as an elementary school student that make eating a balanced diet to this day difficult.  (Why I decided to eliminate vegetables from my diet in third grade is beyond me now, but the mental impact of this decision makes eating vegetables difficult to this day).


Something changed when I entered high school and I begin being less restrictive in what I ate, but some habits like not eating vegetables remained.


I did really good on my own and never received an treatment as a child/adolescent.  I managed to keep things going well thru college, then after college I decided to try Jenny Craig and things quickly spiraled out of control and I began using laxatives in addition to restricting.  This time, thanks to people who took notice, I received some out patient treatment and tried to come to terms with what and why I was doing things.


Needless to say, since the Jenny Craig incident I have been loathsome to try any other commercialized diets.  Now I'm not trying to endorse or warn against any particular diet, but am simply recapping my story.  

About a month again I decided to call Ravel Medspa to inquire about how their laser lipo worked, not that I could afford it, but to see what it was all about since I had heard it all over the radio.  After talking with the rep, she suggested that I look at their weight loss program, WeightNot.  What intrigued me about this program was that not only was calorie intake reduced, but that it was supervised by a medical doctor and was assisted with supplements meant to address the chemical level of weight loss.


The biggest different to me between this program and Jenny Craig was that when I told them I was going to have surgery, they recommend I stop taking the supplements and increase my good fat intake in preparation for surgery and during recovery.  While on Jenny Craig I had a number of surgeries and each time they advised me to keep the lower calorie intake of the diet.  The WeightNot approach was so radically different and really focused on being healthy.


So after completing the JumpStart portion of the WeightNot program I lost seven pounds.  Prior to increasing my diet in preparation for surgery I had lost 19 pounds, but prior to surgery had put back on about three-four pounds.  I do have to admit that I haven't been strictly sticking to the diet, but am slowly seeing that my tastes preferences are changing and making it easier for me to stay on the diet.  For instance, I'm a huge chocolate fan and just this morning after a few pieces of dove chocolate I was done and actually wanted some almonds.  In the past I would have continued to eat the entire bag of chocolates without ever registering whether or not I was full or even enjoying the chocolates.


I also like that the WeightNot program stresses a walking regimen versus a hardcore workout regimen as when taking in less calories it can be harder to do a vigorous workout.  I do have to say prior to surgery I was not walking as much as I should have, but then again I was having serious pain in my legs and after my two weeks of recovery I can't wait to start walking at the gym and getting to see some of the my old work buddies who use the gym too (exercising and socializing)!

The Radioactive Duck Returns

My unexplained hiatus has ended. Life has taken some interesting turns and I've decided to return with a different view of things.

I spent much of this winter traveling for work.  I managed to travel to LA, San Diego, and Southern Cali in four days before returning home for a week to set out on a six week adventure which took me to Seattle, Detroit, Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal, Shannon, Ireland, Dublin, Ireland, Honolulu, Chicago and Minneapolis.  The travel was long, but I learned so much and was instrumental in putting together our next software release largely based on the user feedback that I collected.  I made many new friends while traveling and had many unique opportunities come my way.  I managed to get a few extra days of relaxation here and there by traveling direct to my next destination instead of returning home for a day before heading back out.  I got to enjoy hot yoga in Vancouver, two road trips in Ireland (from Dublin to Shannon and Shannon back to Dublin), and three whole extra days in paradise.

I had surgery yesterday for my spinal cord simulator and have two weeks off from work.  This was my fourth battery since 2003 and the third location of the battery pocket. I've decided that during this time I wanted to revive Ducktales.  Some of the things that I would like to focus on in this new incarnation of Ducktales are:

• Genealogy research - continuing my exploration of my family tree
• WeightNot - my current weight loss journey through the WeightNot program from Ravel Med Spa
• Corset training - waist training and corseting
• Wicca and Reiki - my journey on my spiritual path

I of course still want to work on reducing my footprint and living "smaller". For me living smaller has many meanings.  One important meaning for me is that living smaller means living with less bills.  This is something that is difficult for many of us, especially with how the economy has been.  It's a goal and maybe one day I'll reach it.  Living smaller also means literally living small; need less space and having less extraneous clutter.  I've learned clutter comes in many forms and sometimes clutter can be emotional clutter.  While learning to release the emotional clutter is bound to be the most difficult undertaking, the reward of cutting the cords and removing the hooks of the emotional clutter are bound to reap countless rewards.

My Summer of Buying Nothing Challenge

I am giving myself a Summer of Buying Nothing Challenge, June 10th to September 10th.  The following items will be exempt from "buying nothing" but will be restricted to a budgeted amount:

• Groceries and Jenny Craig food
• Gas for Zoё
• Maintenancefor Zoё
• Pre-existing bills
• Medication and doctor's visits
• Yoga monthly membership
• Magick and coven supplies
• A small Father's Day gift and/or card
• DMV fees for Zoё and new driver's license

Along with buying nothing, I will also be evaluating where I can reduce the things I don't need/don't use now that I have a clearer understanding of the items I use in my much smaller (but bigger than I hoped for) space--yah no more two bedroom apartment, hello shared house.  I will also be looking at where I can make changes in my current routine that will allow for me to make further reductions, such has using the communal microwave down stairs and selling my personal microwave.  Sadly I had to purchase a refrigerator because there was literally no room for me to even have a gallon of milk communally stored (but I did choose a small energy star fridge/freezer combo).

So what does this mean right now?  Well it means I'm gonna have to find a hair detangling option from what I got that doesn't leave my hair greasy and actually detangles.  I've tried ACV, lavender water and coconut oil and I'm still shooting blanks.  This weekend is DMV, Zoё maintenance and recouping from my reunion last weekend.

Unannounced Hiatus Over

There is light at the end of the tunnel and my unannounced hiatus is over!

For the last four months I've been working 12-13 hour days (not including travel time between jobs and home) and even managed to juggle three jobs for about a month. Speaking of work, I accepted an IT software development Project Manager position with the government. It's been a rough transition into the team, but the developers have finally realized that I understand what they are saying I just don't know the specifics of their applications (I don't hold a masters in IT/IS for nothing you know). As of this coming Sunday I will only be working one job and be able to get more than 5 hours of sleep.

In other big news I moved out of my apartment and into a shared house this week. In the process of down sizing and preparing for the move I had a small set back in down sizing due to some purchasing frenzies the move created. I'm working on taming that and trying to buy handicrafts or organic products. But I did make great strides in reducing my belonging.

• ✓FreeCycled Couch
• ✓Dresser returned to parents house
• ✓Bed frame returned to parents house
• ✓Desk returned to parents house
• ✓Bedside table returned to parents house
• ✓Cleaned out old papers from desk and "to be filed" jumbo box

Things that have backslide:

• Homemade Shampoo/Conditioner -- I had a scalp issue that I tried to resolve with organic shampoo/conditioner, then the ACV stopped detangling my hair...looking for alternatives now
• Make deodorant -- Currently using Tom of Maine’s deodorant due to coconut oil melting
• Ban fast food -- Haven't been home enough to avoid fast food :(
• Eliminate red meat from my diet – I haven't been sticking to :(

An Update of Sorts

Well it seems like forever since I've updated because frankly it has been forever.  A lot has been going on this last month.  This biggest news is I got a roommate halfway through the month.  This is a huge help.  I also started my second job which has me running around like a mad woman.  I've got a third job in the works which will become my full time job and the other two will just be part time jobs.  I'm hoping that I will still be on track with the new job for a move in May.  I've got my finger crossed.

Despite being incredibly busy this month I still managed to get some changes made.  Here's a recap of the COMPLETED challenged from January:
✔Clean desk and reduce to one desk
✔Get roommate
✔Reduce debt by 25%
✔Replace eco-laundry detergent with lavender castle soap
✔Replace toothpowder with pepperment castle soap
✔Switch to recyclable razors

I moved to the smallest of the three original desk.  I still have a few things hanging around in the old desk, but for all intensive purposes I'm using just the one small desk.  :)

I got a roommate!

My debt is slowly decreasing.  I'm proud to say that minus my educational expenses I've reduced my debt by almost 25%.  Things are still rough, but I made it through January and I will make it thorough February.

I've totally switched the lavender castle soap for my laundry detergent.  I love love love it.  All my clothes smell great now and not too perfumey.

Peppermint castle sap as toothpaste rocks!

I totally switched to recyclable razors and am thrilled with the results!

The plan is to get some challenges up for February by the end of the week, but I've got a lot on my plate for the next couple of days.

January Challenges...and Changes Already Made

Alright I've got some challenges up and ready for this month.  Here's the list so far:
→Clean desk and reduce to one desk
→Reduce debt by 25%
→Switch to recyclable razors
→Take unused dresser and bed frame back to parents
→Use up pre-packaged items in apartment
And as this post goes one I'm sure I'll be adding to this least as I've already made some changes this month.

First up, I've gone from three desk, one with a hutch to two desk with no hutch.  Now in the next 21 days I want to go from two desk to one desk.  This will require me to get some desk stuff I have stored in the closet out and continue to evaluate what I have and what I really need.

Next up is to reduce my debt by 25%.  Selling my car as me almost to this goal.  I have one more payment this month and then I can officially say I've reduce my debt (ignoring my student loans for the moment) by 25%.

I've really wanted to switch to recyclable razors for a while and I've finally made it down to my last razor.  So now this is just a matter of me making it to Wegman's to pick up the razor or checking in the Natural Grocer again for them.  Hopefully in the next week or so this can be checked off.

I talked to my dad over Christmas and he said to continue to harass him and he'll borrow someone's truck from his hunting club and get the dresser and bed frame.  I might even have a desk ready for him if he waits til the end of the month.  He claims he didn't know I was waiting for him to get the furniture.  Oops daddy had a senior moment.

As always I'll continue to use up the prepackaged items in the apartment.  Slowly but surly this is getting done.

I found two wonderful new (to me) uses for castle soap.  A drop or two of peppermint castle soap makes wonderful toothpaste.  I like this much better than my toothpowder which still taste pretty bad.  I also found that a 1/4 a cup of lavender castle soap works just as well as laundry detergent and doesn't leave any perfumery smell on my clothes after they're dry.

I'm Alive

Wow, it's already ten days into 2010.  Needless to say I've been busy, you know with the whole trip to Pensacola and then to Nawlins, but Honey I'm back.

First up, my trip back to P'cola was great.  I love getting to see my grandparents down there, and as a bonus my aunt and cousins got to see my mother can't stand up drunk.  Luckily my stay only overlapped with my mother's stay for two days and one of those days I took the car and left for two hours and then went over to my aunts for dinner to minimize the overlap.

Then I rented a car and drove to Nawlins.  It was a wonderfully pleasant drive, oh how I miss the south and can't wait to get back down there in May.  I stayed the same place I stayed last New Year's and as always it was wonderful to be a block from Canal St.  I rented a moped and drove over to Metairie to do some apartment hunting.

Seeing the studios in person really helped me to see where I can make more reductions in my life and even though I thought I was done decluttering, I'm happy to have a renewed spirit for my move which does include more reductions (hey, less stuff means an easier move, right?).  Sadly it was raining while I was apartment hunting and had a minor wipe out.  Thankfully it was just my pride that took the biggest injury.  I was more worried about whether or not my jeans where ripped than the fact that my knee was skid.  Since I only have one pair of jeans I need them for waitressing it was a very good thing that they weren't ripped.

I had to cut my Nawlins trip short since I'm waiting tables and couldn't get away with missing Christmas Eve, Christmas, New Year's Eve, and New Year's Day, so I flew back on New Year's Eve, which really isn't a big deal for me since I'm not a big partier nor do I live for fireworks (though they are fun if I'm not too close that they booms hurt).  I made it back to my apartment about 30 minutes before the ball dropped for the east cost.

While I was away I got two calls for interviews which I wrapped up on Friday.  The first interview was for CBP as government position.  It was actually with a bunch of people that I know so I feel really good about it.  I should hear back from that one in two weeks with a tentative selection offer.  The other interview was for Catherine's (same parent company as Lane Bryant, Fashion Bug, Petite Sophisticate).  I got the call yesterday and I got the job.  It's only part time, but they don't have a full staff at the moment.  I start training next week up in Springfield while the new store is being renovated from a Petite Sophisticate to a Catherine's.

Also one of the guys I'm waiting tables with is going to move into the master bedroom as soon as he gets his second job.  He's coming over today to look at it, but basically said he need to get out from his mother's and it's just a matter of getting the second job.

So while things are still going to be tough for the next month or so there is light at the end of the tunnel.

Wrapping up 2009

Well 2009 is on it's way out the door and 2010 is promising to be filled with BIG adventures.  After spending a few days in (not so) sunny Florida, I'm relaxing (and job/apartment hunting) over in the Big Easy.  My parents dropped in on grandparents and greeted lots of DRAMA.  My mother made a fool out of herself getting piss ass drunk on her first night.  At least the family down here got to see it first hand and know how much my brother, sister and I weren't blowing it out of proportion.  Today I rented a moped and went looking at apartments.  Everything went well, despite the rain and my wipe out.  I'm still bruising at the moments, but only got minor raspberries on my knee and some scratches on my thigh.

Before heading off to the airport I did finally run out of deodorant and made my own solid using coconut oil.  The jury is still out on it's effectiveness, some days good, some days not so good.

I got a text from one of the waiters at the cafe and they're interested in renting out my master bedroom.  Hopefully this doesn't fall through, cause I could really use the help.

Sadly my dad has yet to come pick up the dresser out of my living room.  I did corner him and get him to commit to doing it some time in the near future.  I'll just have to harass him until it gets done.

On Monday I got a call for an interview.  So next Friday I'll be re-interviewing for a new position with Customs and Border Protection.  It's not really what I want to be doing, but I need some money until I get out of Virginia.

Bye Bye Baby Car

Well, it's official.  Baby Car is sold, and just as it decides to snow.  At least the guys at the cafe are looking out for me and making sure I have a ride to and from working this the horrid snow.  I can't wait to leave Virginia and all this sticky slippery white stuff behind me.  And to make everything else ok, my paper got approved so all I have to do to finish my masters is a power point presentation.  Life is good.

Moped/Scooter Purchased!

Well I did it.  I've got me a shiny new (to me) scooter.  Ok, technically Zoe is a motorcycle, but only cause she's got a 150 cc engine.

I've paid down Baby Car and am just waiting for the payment to clear (by Thursday) and then Baby Car is going to CarMax.

I Got a Job!!!

I got hired on the spot today at a local bar/restaurant/pool hall.  I start work tomorrow.  I'm so excited to have a job that will not force me to sit behind a desk all day.  I loved waitressing in college because I get to interact with so many different people.  As shy as I may come off at first in person, I really love being around people.  I still need a second job, but I've got lots of applications out there and I'll continue to stalk apply for retail jobs locally.

In the mean time, I did the very scary thing of cashing out my 401k. 0.o  Considering I'm still waiting on money from my unemployment claims and my bank account was to the point where I could pay any bills this month something had to be done.  So as soon as the check comes, the car will be sold and the moped purchased.  I've got the moped all scoped out and am anxiously checking the mail already for the cash so I can put my plan into action.

In paper news, I'm currently at 39 pages.  Just one page short of the 40 page minimum and I've still got three and roughly a quarter chapters left to finish editing/expanding.

So today is definitely a day for celebration.  Things are going good.  I'm gonna survive!

December Challenges

Alight, so I'm actually getting to posting my December Challenges in a timely manager this month. So without much futher ado, here they are:
→Clear out unused furniture
→Eat three meals a day
→Make own solid deodorant
→Reduce beauty routine (make the minimal used now even less)
→Sale baby car
→Use up pre-packaged items in apartment

First up is getting the bed frame and dresser that are no longer in use out of the apartment. Currently they are both sitting in my living room as a painful reminder to harass my dad to come pick them up or to ask one of the ladies from my women's group to help me take them to my parents house.

Next up is one of my new lifestyle/health changes.  The focus is on simply stopping and eating something three times a day.  I'm not worried about what exactly I'm eating or if it's enough, the focus is simple to get my body used to eating three times a day.

Next, I'll be making my own solid deodorant from coconut oil, provided I use up the last tube of deodorant that I still have hanging around the apartment

Then, it's on to my beauty routine.  I've finally found a no 'poo shampoo that my scalp likes and an amazing vinegar rinse that got my locks manageable.  Make up is down to chap-stick when my lips are dry or a touch of lip-gloss and eye-shadow when I want to feel like I'm glammed up.  I've forgone any extra moisturizer for my face, I just don't need it.  Now I'm still trying to find the perfect face wash: honey or LUSH's Baby Face solid.  Once I settle on this I can check this off my list.

The next big lifestyle change for me is selling baby car.  Now I can't go without any transportation, public transportation just isn't reliable enough and I'm not able to handle the hills on a bike (nor am I in any type of physical shape to manage biking locally...just not there yet).  So I've decided on a moped.  Much more economical (for the environment and my wallet) than baby car.  I've actually looked at one last week at a little mom and pop shop and will own it as soon as I've sold my car (will definitely have it in the next two weeks!!!!!!!!!).

And as always I'll continue using up the pre-packaged items in the apartment and replacing them with either homemade or Earth-friendly alternatives.