Dom’s Neighborhood

There be nasty cold in me lungs and voice box. I be coughin and blowin and there be much layin about. arggggh
Thanks be to the sunny skies and calm winds and me scurvy meds. aggggh

Frequently, I will fall madly in love with a piece of furniture that leaves even my closest friends & allies scratching their heads in confusion. Such was the case with my new desk. When I first showed it to my husband, I could tell he was skeptical, but knew better than to say so...When the glimmer is in my eye, just back away.

It was love at first glance on Craigslist for me: 

Original

So I contacted the owner to arrange a viewing. We had several conversations over the course of a few days while attempting to fit our schedules together and I learned that the desk had belonged to his mother and he had the pity-able task of sorting out her belongings. I told him that I was a furniture maker and would take really good care of it...that I wasn't sure if I would refinish it, or leave it alone, but either way it would be loved. In a small way, I think these exchanges may have been a bit therapeutic for him, as I sensed he was perhaps a bit choked up on the other line.

I should mention, in addition to being incredibly kind, he was also extremely fair with the price ($45 for desk, chair, & mirror) and generously offered to deliver it to me for free.

So yesterday, when he showed up, it was an easy no brainer. I saw it on the truck, knew it was love, handed him the money, and brought it in the house. It was a little dirty from being in storage, but a little simple green & elbow grease was all it took to clean up nicely: 

my work station

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While pulling out one of the drawers, my husband discovered hidden treasures had fallen into the back of it. I couldn't believe it - a beautiful desk AND hidden treasure! I had hit the jackpot. The best things we found: an antique bottle opener, stolen from a San Francisco hotel called The Raphael; a porcelain lid to a tiny box (this must have made her CRAZY trying to find it); an old silver swiss army knife? or nail cutter?; and best of all - a tiny gold skeleton key with a #2 on it.

Treasure

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Doesn't that just pique your sense of wonder & adventure like crazy???!!!! WHAT on earth does that key open and HOW will I find it?

Well, those questions may have to go unanswered. I plan to call the man today and offer him what I found...but I'm REALLY hoping he doesn't want them back, because I love them so much! I would like to keep them with the desk, either displayed behind my computer or in a shadow box on the wall. Each item has so much history and so many secrets to tell...If I am allowed to keep them, I know they will provide endless inspiration and possibly good luck while spending long hours feverishly writing at this desk.

When I was a desk jockey in San Francisco, I frequently changed my desktop image to something happy and tropical because I was, well - unhappy & cold. Now that I'm back in Hawaii, I wanted to put some images out into the internets, in case anyone out there is searching for warm, flowery, happy, tropical, Hawaii wallpaper:

Yesterday we awoke to snow, falling, sticking. It snowed enough that Ben, Aaron and I went out to play in it.

We found bunny tracks across the snow in our front yard. I put food for the bunnies to find today. Birds and squirrels are finding their food. I've seen a few bright red cardinals.

Yesterday we had a family gathering with Ben's family and mine - Aaron and I cooked for everyone. He made an AMAZING chocolate/carmel/salted cake to celebrate Ben's mom's birthday.  Everyone left full and happy to have spent the afternoon with us in our home.

I surprised my sis by bringing out a huge basket of our childhood comics. We are spending Friday night together with our old comics and toys and having a slumber party! I'm thinking cherry kool-aid and popcorn with BUTTER! It was wonderful to see the look on her face when she realized I'd saved them for us and knew she would love them.

Jess came by today and we hung out together. Love my niece - she is a great person, just like my kids and her brother. We are having family christmas tomorrow to accommodate the kids being here. Cassie will be missed!

All in all - I am loving it here. Course being back in CA last weekend with my friends was awesome too!
It's all wonderful.

As the pipe clamp blisters began to pop and heal on my hands, I knew I was in a race against myself to find my next gig in woodworking. I had just quit my job after I was put on a mandatory 72-hour work week schedule, which was neither safe nor necessary in the warehouse where I was a full time furniture maker. From my first taste of sawdust, I was hooked. I loved everything about it, especially the aches & pains associated with putting in a hard day of manual labor.

I had moved thousands of miles from my industrial Michigan factory roots, only to go to college and decide the blue collar life is what I wanted. I quit my job, only when it was obvious that it would either kill or permanently injure me...but it was still one of the hardest decisions I have ever had to make. Besides the fact that I love it, I realize now how wrapped up I was in the identity of being just one thing...In my working life, I have always had to have at least three side hustles going on and I've done everything from nude modeling, to being a maid, a well-paid executive assistant, an extra in movies, a make-up artist, to an apprentice sander in a woodshop.

When I call home to update my family, typically, whatever it is I describe is met with unconditional love & acceptance, even if there is a tinge of it not necessarily being understood. As a woodworker, I was finally able to align myself with an identity - one thing that I loved being and doing...and it was so much easier to explain that!

Predictably, when the job fell apart, I scrambled for any paying gig I could find on craigslist. As it turns out, it was a good time to be involved with film making and I even signed up for acting classes. Being involved in the process is as exciting as it seems like it would be - even the long hours of waiting, while being completely dressed to the nines for a 6:00 a.m. call time, shouldn't be exciting, but it still is.

Around this time I also found work as a fit model, working for a local design house. It's a job that pays very well but the work is inconsistent. Still, I am extremely thankful to have it, even if it is a bit weird for me to use it as an identifier at the dentist's office and have the receptionist squeal and ask me a bunch of questions about the job. That's a rock star moment, I'm not going to lie, but it's completely foreign to me to identify myself as "model" in any capacity...especially when "factory rat" was a closer signifier just weeks ago.

I'm not sure if all the discomfort in lacking a fixed occupation or identity squarely rests on my shoulders, or if I am reacting to other people's confusion when I try to explain, "Well, I'm actually a furniture maker, but I'm out of work, so I'm doing the acting and modeling thing, while looking for another woodworking gig." Who does that? I'm not sure if I even understand myself anymore.

In the long run, it's probably a good thing that I am so versatile & adaptable - I always have something relevent for any type of resume I'm creating for myself (and I have at least 3); but I long for the day when I have a short answer to the question, "So what do you do?" 

If the weather does not keep my flight from taking off, I'll be winging my way back to CA tomorrow!

I have 4 full days planned - with friends, with family, My daughter graduates college on Sat!

I am SO EXCITED. Too bad it looks like I'll be missing the first BIG storm of the winter here. But its OK. Ben will likely document it for me.:-)

When I come back, I'll have my son with me for a week! I ordered a pizza stone and peel and cutter so we can work on our pizza skills! And Ohio family will get to hang with Aaron!

We signed up for this once we got here. Association Holiday dinner (and meeting) was open to the 300 homes or so in this area. We were sure we would be wanting to leave as soon as we got there. We were wrong!

Its pouring rain outside, but the house is so well insulated - I can't hear it sitting here in my office.

Ben is in his office, now painted a DARK brown with dark carpet and black wood desks - his man cave - playing with friends online.

We've managed to get the rooms painted we wanted to change, put in new carpet, get new furniture, set up guest rooms and there is a new hot tub in the enclosed garden room - once potting shed - just waiting for Ben and my brother in law Mark to pull the 150 feet of cable and wire up a new electrical box for it.

Today I finally decided on health insurance and studied for the driver's license test. It will soon be official -

Just talked with both kids. Miss them - but will see them soon at Cas's graduation.
She's graduating UC Davis with 2 majors and a minor. She's applying to law schools.
Aaron was cooking dinner with a friend tonight - steaks in pepper and olive oil.
I can't wait to see them on the 12th!

Soon, maybe this weekend - the rain will turn to snow.

I always try to think of something deep and profound to write about, stumped today.
I have a good life.. i have a wonderful boyfriend with three beautiful children, i own an awesome house and drive a great car and have a career that takes care of life.
Why is it that i am constantly finding myself absolutely broke and stressed. I have a severely ADHD son who is so far behind in school, a little girl who has attitude written all over her face and a 10 year old daughter who is dappling into internet sources she is not of maturity to look upon. A boyfriend who rarely helps around the house and bills that are coming out of my nose.
But i constantly have to remind myself i have a good life. I have a job where as others may not, i own a house where many don't have a home at all or individuals that have to walk or take the bus because they can not afford a vehicle.  A man that loves me regardless of my faults and three beautiful children that are all a direct extension of myself in so many ways and bring so many laughs and smiles into my life with kisses and hugs and memorable moments.

So my deep and profound thoughts for the day, no matter how frustrated one gets or overwhelming life is always focus on the things and moments that mean the most and be great-full because it could be so much worse.

MERRY XMAS ONE AND ALL

So its a quarter past midnight and i just had to roll out of bed to go pick up a friend from the side of the road who was severely drunk and had been kicked out of his rebounds house for insulting her after a full blow out between them two.

My boyfriend is thanking me for picking him up since he was too drunk to pick him up himself because he bolted out of the door to meet this same friend at a bar and got drunk and stayed out till almost 11 after i had just walked in the door after an 11 hour day and then commenced to jump straight onto the X box to play video games and completely ignoring me in the process. I stated coldly that i did not do this for him but for Pat our friend...

Now he is sitting in the game room watching chris play his games both drunk and trying to have a heart to heart conversation...ironic how the drunk man who upset his girlfriend is trying to give the other drunk friend advice on relationships who just got kicked out of her house for being drunk and stupid.

The things we do for friends..........