No pictures yet, but lots of random thoughts to post, and if I don't get them down, I'm sure they'll get lost in my head (it's a very busy place)....
* We have spent the last week marvelling at how much stuff one can accumulate in three years time. Three years ago, KB and I each arrived with just three suitcases a piece. It took us one moving van and four car trips to get everything to Sigulda!
* If I didn't know it before, I know it now. I'm allergic to dust. There was a lot of it in the moving/cleaning process, so it was lots of sneezing and watery eyes for me. I've even got the red Rudolph nose to prove it.
* While moving down 113 steps is easier than moving up, it's still quite a painful task. When IG and I went shopping for her wedding dress two days after the big move, we just kept laughing because were quite sure we looked like old ladies wearing wigs from the back, so slowly we were moving through the streets of Riga.
* We have lots of good friends to thank for helping us in the moving process - I can honestly say it wouldn't have happened without them! AD and IG take the biggest gold star for helping us pack up the treehouse as well (between the four of us we got it all packed up in a day!). Thanks also to AV, TK and EM as well as AK and our former neighbors for donating boxes to us! All who helped will be rewarded with many a weekend in our pirts (sauna)! :)
* It's a good thing that unpacking happens after packing because it's generally more fun. It's really starting to feel like home already!
* Mima the Wondercat is just now coming back to her senses. She spent the whole week in a pretty crazy state, as she was slowly watching things disappear from her treehouse home. Moving day was the fifth time in her life that she has actually been outside. She screamed the entire way to Sigulda. She has this thing about pooping when she is nervous (every time we go to the vet, let's not forget the first infamous visit when she pooped on the seat of the taxi....) but this time she peed herself too and was completely yellow when we arrived to the new home. I wiped her down with a wet towel as best I could after we let her go in the bathroom, hoping she would start cleaning herself, but she was too scared/embarrassed by her own smell to do that. So she got the first bath of her life. She is not a normal cat, because she actually really enjoyed the bath. She only got upset when we took her out to dry her. Then she went into hiding for the rest of the day and only came around to check us out while we were sleeping. The following day she went into hiding again and only came out at night when I was the only one home unpacking. Now she's back to being a dog and came straight to bed with me and slept at my feet as usual. She's been hanging out on the window sills amazed to see something more than just the sky. This morning she was growling at the flag.
* Having a fireplace is so cozy. I love it.
* Even though I won't feel too rested going back to work next week after our "ski break", I'm glad we moved during this time. I can't imagine trying to do it all in the evening while still working during the day.
* Starting Monday I will check out my new commute. It involves a five minute walk to the train in Sigulda, one hour on the train to Riga, then a 7 minute bus trip from the train station across the bridge, and another 10 minute walk to school. I'm really glad I found the bus from the train station over the bridge, because otherwise it would've been another 40 minute walk from train to school (I tried it out one day last week - I somehow thought it was a big closer, but no, it's over 2 km). As long as the train isn't too full and I can get a seat, I think I'll be fine with reading, sleeping or doing homework. I don't see sitting in the train as a waste of time. And if I have to stand, KB has offered me his mp3 player, where I can download and watch some of my TV shows. I think it will be fine. It will be an adjustment, but once I get home I'll just be able to totally relax.
* There is really something to be said for living in a home as opposed to an apartment in the city. Space to breathe and to just be.....it's nice.
* I hope I can discipline myself to start writing shorter, more frequent posts again rather than these long ones. They are more fun to write and I'm sure to read..... One of my many goals for self-improvement during this time of change. :)
* And now back to unpacking so I can relax and watch KB on TV tonight. He helped with the move and then had to take off for Ventspils for three days for Eurovision semi-finals. I actually don't mind, because that means I get to unpack everything how I want it. Hopefully, he'll be pleasantly surprised when he comes home on Sunday!
Friday, February 27, 2009
Monday, February 16, 2009
hahahahaha......
In these tough economic times, it's good to have a Plan B... Presenting the debut to my acting career. (I'm still laughing.....)
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Balance
One month in, I would give a good evaluation to my resolution of Balance in life... :)Something that will help me to achieve that even better this year is an upcoming change at the end of this month. We will be moving to a house that we will be renting in Sigulda! This means I will now have an hour train-ride communte in the mornings and evenings, but it also means I'll be coming to fresh air, quiet, green, a garden and a home.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
How to start up again?
You know it's been a while since the last blog when you get an email from your mom saying, your last blog was January 4th, is that true? :) I'm glad someone out there is taking an interest. :)
Reasons for the absence of new blogs:
1. I'm trying to do a really good job of my new year's mantra (the fat elephant on the tiny stool), so most nights that means shortening the to-do list and I'm taking time to relax.
2. Writing reports ate up a fair bit of my "free time" the first weeks of January.
3. I haven't been so good with taking pictures myself lately, which leaves me to wait for pictures from others, and when I've promised pictures on the blog, but can't deliver them, I have a hard time writing about anything else.
4. Once I've stopped writing for a while I feel like I need a really good story to get back in the game. No such stories have come up lately, but I figure I've gotta start writing again sometime, so here I go, sharing a list of 25 things about myself, as I have also published on Facebook after being "tagged".
Rules: Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you.
1. This is my second attempt at writing this list. I stopped my first list because my first ten comments seemed more negative than I wanted them to be (though they probably really weren't). That's a pretty good indication of how hard I'm still working to keep a happy and optimistic outlook on life living in a place that can be pretty negative.
2. I love, love, love (am in love with?) Ben and Jerry's ice cream, still and forever. Sometimes I spend 5 Ls ($10) on a pint of Haagen Dazs ice cream because it's the closest thing here in LV. I've had people smuggle it into the country for me.
3. I'm coming up on my three year anniversary of living in Latvia (February 13), and realize that any time you open a new door for yourself it just makes life more complicated. Interesting, too, but definitely complicated. Nothing is perfect, there are plusses and minuses to everything in life.
4. I have a phobia about belly buttons (something to the effect of that's the place where all your skin is attached and held together so belly buttons shouldn't be touched).
5. I'm finding that I am really enjoying teaching grade 2 after years of being a preschool teacher, though some days I wonder if it's not this particular group of kids that is making it so great. If anyone can do it, they will be the ones to save the world.
6. I try to exercise by doing Pilates at home at least five days a week, which means waking up at 5:30am. I have more energy and feel better on the days I stick with it!
7. I also try to start each day with a quote or idea, kind of like a positive mantra for the day.
8. I really like to read and wish my eyes didn't close up on me after just a couple of pages of reading at night.
9. If the "unique" personalities of my past and future pets is any indication on what kind of children I will raise, I'm a little worried about what might happen....
10. I own enough children's books that my dad once recommended I might take out insurance on them, much as people sometimes insure large CD collections.
11. I can't stand to watch Latvian TV (horrible, horrible voice overs), so I'm really glad that we can now download and watch shows through our computer. I'm hooked on Grey's Anatomy, 24, Lost, The Office and Gilmore Girls.
12. I'm officially addited to Scrabble and Pathwords on Facebook.
13. My spirituality and beliefs have changed immensely over the last few years, and while I can feel what it is that I now believe, it's somehow not something that I can easily articulate in a few words. I've come to appreciate the complexity and individuality of it all.
14. I can't really get my head around the fact that I'll be 30 in a few short weeks.
15. I appreciate the sun a lot more than I ever have in my life before.
16. I prefer having "campouts" and sleeping on the couch rather than in bed. I also usually put on my pajamas as soon as I get home at night. Being cozy is the best.
17. I really hope that KB and I wil be able to fulfill our big dreams of a house at Jaunvitagas some day. I don't like that the economy can make us so doubtful of our own dreams.
18. I feel most peaceful wandering the woods at Jaunvitagas. I love being able to pick wild berries in the summer and mushrooms in the fall and then cooking with them at home.
19. I wish it were easier to see my family more than once a year.
20. It is 113 steps up to our "treehouse" apartment, no lift.
21. I currently have several craft projects going: knitting a scarf, dying fabric and cross-stitching for a round robin quilt project with five other women in my family, and I've been trying to sew a skirt on my sewing maching since October.
22. I love having lots of plants in our apartment. There are currently 46 plants living in the treehouse.
23. I like to cook and bake and I especially like having people to cook and bake for.
24. I don't think I'll ever stop learning how to be a better teacher. I am now about to sit down with homework for an online course about teaching children with dyslexia.
25. If I could be doing anything right now, it would be to jump ahead some months and be relaxing on a beach here in LV with my husband. Warm sun, sand on bare feet, fresh breeze....
Reasons for the absence of new blogs:
1. I'm trying to do a really good job of my new year's mantra (the fat elephant on the tiny stool), so most nights that means shortening the to-do list and I'm taking time to relax.
2. Writing reports ate up a fair bit of my "free time" the first weeks of January.
3. I haven't been so good with taking pictures myself lately, which leaves me to wait for pictures from others, and when I've promised pictures on the blog, but can't deliver them, I have a hard time writing about anything else.
4. Once I've stopped writing for a while I feel like I need a really good story to get back in the game. No such stories have come up lately, but I figure I've gotta start writing again sometime, so here I go, sharing a list of 25 things about myself, as I have also published on Facebook after being "tagged".
Rules: Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you.
1. This is my second attempt at writing this list. I stopped my first list because my first ten comments seemed more negative than I wanted them to be (though they probably really weren't). That's a pretty good indication of how hard I'm still working to keep a happy and optimistic outlook on life living in a place that can be pretty negative.
2. I love, love, love (am in love with?) Ben and Jerry's ice cream, still and forever. Sometimes I spend 5 Ls ($10) on a pint of Haagen Dazs ice cream because it's the closest thing here in LV. I've had people smuggle it into the country for me.
3. I'm coming up on my three year anniversary of living in Latvia (February 13), and realize that any time you open a new door for yourself it just makes life more complicated. Interesting, too, but definitely complicated. Nothing is perfect, there are plusses and minuses to everything in life.
4. I have a phobia about belly buttons (something to the effect of that's the place where all your skin is attached and held together so belly buttons shouldn't be touched).
5. I'm finding that I am really enjoying teaching grade 2 after years of being a preschool teacher, though some days I wonder if it's not this particular group of kids that is making it so great. If anyone can do it, they will be the ones to save the world.
6. I try to exercise by doing Pilates at home at least five days a week, which means waking up at 5:30am. I have more energy and feel better on the days I stick with it!
7. I also try to start each day with a quote or idea, kind of like a positive mantra for the day.
8. I really like to read and wish my eyes didn't close up on me after just a couple of pages of reading at night.
9. If the "unique" personalities of my past and future pets is any indication on what kind of children I will raise, I'm a little worried about what might happen....
10. I own enough children's books that my dad once recommended I might take out insurance on them, much as people sometimes insure large CD collections.
11. I can't stand to watch Latvian TV (horrible, horrible voice overs), so I'm really glad that we can now download and watch shows through our computer. I'm hooked on Grey's Anatomy, 24, Lost, The Office and Gilmore Girls.
12. I'm officially addited to Scrabble and Pathwords on Facebook.
13. My spirituality and beliefs have changed immensely over the last few years, and while I can feel what it is that I now believe, it's somehow not something that I can easily articulate in a few words. I've come to appreciate the complexity and individuality of it all.
14. I can't really get my head around the fact that I'll be 30 in a few short weeks.
15. I appreciate the sun a lot more than I ever have in my life before.
16. I prefer having "campouts" and sleeping on the couch rather than in bed. I also usually put on my pajamas as soon as I get home at night. Being cozy is the best.
17. I really hope that KB and I wil be able to fulfill our big dreams of a house at Jaunvitagas some day. I don't like that the economy can make us so doubtful of our own dreams.
18. I feel most peaceful wandering the woods at Jaunvitagas. I love being able to pick wild berries in the summer and mushrooms in the fall and then cooking with them at home.
19. I wish it were easier to see my family more than once a year.
20. It is 113 steps up to our "treehouse" apartment, no lift.
21. I currently have several craft projects going: knitting a scarf, dying fabric and cross-stitching for a round robin quilt project with five other women in my family, and I've been trying to sew a skirt on my sewing maching since October.
22. I love having lots of plants in our apartment. There are currently 46 plants living in the treehouse.
23. I like to cook and bake and I especially like having people to cook and bake for.
24. I don't think I'll ever stop learning how to be a better teacher. I am now about to sit down with homework for an online course about teaching children with dyslexia.
25. If I could be doing anything right now, it would be to jump ahead some months and be relaxing on a beach here in LV with my husband. Warm sun, sand on bare feet, fresh breeze....
Sunday, January 4, 2009
The ultimate Sunday night
This is the Sunday night of all Sunday nights. You can try not to let it eat away at the last hours of a lovely day off, but it still creeps in, that dread of totally not looking forward to Monday morning. The one after winter vacation from school for me has always been the ultimate Sunday night. I vividly remember crying alligator tears about it in elementary school.
The night before the first day of school in August is always filled with this bittersweetness of not wanting the summer to end, but there's jittery excitement because it's something new. Plus you've been away long enough, that you have some energy going back into it. Fall break, ski break, spring break, those are long enough to feel like you've had a bit of a break away, but you're not too far out of routine to somehow get back into it. But this Sunday night after two and a half weeks away is a tough one - I haven't yet found a way to make peace with it. Plus it's the dead of winter, and the treehouse is a pretty cozy place. At this moment, I would be content to be paid to be a slug on our couch for the rest of my life.
The great news is that we have had four white and bright sunny days in a row this year - that must be some kind of record! It's been gorgeous outside! I attribute that to a snowy white candle I bought at the end of last year, and I burned it as a meditation for snow in January. My other meditation for the new year was the wine I drank on New Year's Eve, called Balance with a fat elephant balancing on a tiny stool. I'm going to be the elephant on the stool this year.
I'm still compiling holiday photos, but for now, here is a sneak peak of our New Year's Eve celebration. I'll save the details for the rest of the photos.
The mantra in our treehouse for the year: "2009 will be just fine..." :)
)
The night before the first day of school in August is always filled with this bittersweetness of not wanting the summer to end, but there's jittery excitement because it's something new. Plus you've been away long enough, that you have some energy going back into it. Fall break, ski break, spring break, those are long enough to feel like you've had a bit of a break away, but you're not too far out of routine to somehow get back into it. But this Sunday night after two and a half weeks away is a tough one - I haven't yet found a way to make peace with it. Plus it's the dead of winter, and the treehouse is a pretty cozy place. At this moment, I would be content to be paid to be a slug on our couch for the rest of my life.
The great news is that we have had four white and bright sunny days in a row this year - that must be some kind of record! It's been gorgeous outside! I attribute that to a snowy white candle I bought at the end of last year, and I burned it as a meditation for snow in January. My other meditation for the new year was the wine I drank on New Year's Eve, called Balance with a fat elephant balancing on a tiny stool. I'm going to be the elephant on the stool this year.
I'm still compiling holiday photos, but for now, here is a sneak peak of our New Year's Eve celebration. I'll save the details for the rest of the photos.
The mantra in our treehouse for the year: "2009 will be just fine..." :)
Monday, December 29, 2008
Slightly delirious
The treehouse stinks of burnt plastic plus magnolia vanilla air freshener and a powerful but delicious gingerbread candle. I'm freezing because the windows have been open half an hour and slightly delirious from the smell... This may be a signal from the universe that I am really meant to do nothing during this winter break...
I've been doing a lot of relaxing this break because my body has given me serious signs I need to slow down - weird piercing random headaches along with total lightheadedness for a week had me quite concerned and I totally slowed down (aka: retired to being a slug on my couch) for a week before Christmas. (I "passed" all the tests the doctor put me through, so all signs point to stress that I need to manage a bit better.) This was followed by a Christmas cold/flu that my husband shared with me, so it has been all about reading good books and watching lots of movies the last week and a half. The only truly constructive things I have done include the following:
1. KB drove me to school for one hour so I could change the water in Bubbles' tank so that he survives the holidays. He is spending Christmas and New Years at school by himself this year after the close escape from death that we had last holiday season...
2. Spent Christmas Eve in Burtnieki with IG's family. It was quite nice to be in a family setting again for Christmas this year. We baked more piparkukas and piragi and had lots of great food to eat, and we sang Christmas and other songs. I hope we didn't get anyone else sick.
3. I have been attempting to dye fabric. Thus the treehouse smells of burnt plastic and I think I may just need to go back to only relaxing....
I am participating with five other women in my family on round robin quilts, where each person adds something to each quilt, writes a little something a journal that travels with that quilt, and it the end everyone has their own special quilt to keep, along with the story of the quilt. Since I, however, do not quilt, I have a different task. To dye fabric.
My sister sent me fabric dye before the holidays and I bought the linen here to dye a bit for each quilt within each person's color scheme. Krix and I have been in serious communication for a week now over email and skype as she has been trying to coach me through a technique they all learned for dying the fabric. This invovles sprinking the dye on damp fabric, putting it into a ziploc bag and microwaving it for two minutes. The part about the plastic bag in a microwave concerned me, but both Krix and mom confirmed having used this technique before.
The first attempt was just amusing, as KB was helping me with his advice (including using a fish net for a better "sprinkling" effect). We stared down the microwave nervously during the first two minutes, but other than some leakage, which I was able to clean up, nothing too damaging occured. A few of the other dyes did leave as permanent stain in the microwave, so I decided to set it aside for the night.
Tonight, however, during the second attempt, my microwave burned a massive charred hole into the first plastic bag. I turned it down from 800 power to 600 and the microwave still burned holes into the next two bags, which I quickly removed before they charred. So the question is, are European microwaves really that different from American microwaves? Or should I really just not attempt any work during this holiday and stick to 100% relaxation?
I'm slightly too delirious to make the decision now. Maybe I'll attempt it again tomorrow when I can think more clearly again...
I've been doing a lot of relaxing this break because my body has given me serious signs I need to slow down - weird piercing random headaches along with total lightheadedness for a week had me quite concerned and I totally slowed down (aka: retired to being a slug on my couch) for a week before Christmas. (I "passed" all the tests the doctor put me through, so all signs point to stress that I need to manage a bit better.) This was followed by a Christmas cold/flu that my husband shared with me, so it has been all about reading good books and watching lots of movies the last week and a half. The only truly constructive things I have done include the following:
1. KB drove me to school for one hour so I could change the water in Bubbles' tank so that he survives the holidays. He is spending Christmas and New Years at school by himself this year after the close escape from death that we had last holiday season...
2. Spent Christmas Eve in Burtnieki with IG's family. It was quite nice to be in a family setting again for Christmas this year. We baked more piparkukas and piragi and had lots of great food to eat, and we sang Christmas and other songs. I hope we didn't get anyone else sick.
3. I have been attempting to dye fabric. Thus the treehouse smells of burnt plastic and I think I may just need to go back to only relaxing....
I am participating with five other women in my family on round robin quilts, where each person adds something to each quilt, writes a little something a journal that travels with that quilt, and it the end everyone has their own special quilt to keep, along with the story of the quilt. Since I, however, do not quilt, I have a different task. To dye fabric.
My sister sent me fabric dye before the holidays and I bought the linen here to dye a bit for each quilt within each person's color scheme. Krix and I have been in serious communication for a week now over email and skype as she has been trying to coach me through a technique they all learned for dying the fabric. This invovles sprinking the dye on damp fabric, putting it into a ziploc bag and microwaving it for two minutes. The part about the plastic bag in a microwave concerned me, but both Krix and mom confirmed having used this technique before.
The first attempt was just amusing, as KB was helping me with his advice (including using a fish net for a better "sprinkling" effect). We stared down the microwave nervously during the first two minutes, but other than some leakage, which I was able to clean up, nothing too damaging occured. A few of the other dyes did leave as permanent stain in the microwave, so I decided to set it aside for the night.
Tonight, however, during the second attempt, my microwave burned a massive charred hole into the first plastic bag. I turned it down from 800 power to 600 and the microwave still burned holes into the next two bags, which I quickly removed before they charred. So the question is, are European microwaves really that different from American microwaves? Or should I really just not attempt any work during this holiday and stick to 100% relaxation?
I'm slightly too delirious to make the decision now. Maybe I'll attempt it again tomorrow when I can think more clearly again...
Saturday, December 20, 2008
In waiting...
Hooray! Tomorrow is officially the shortest day of the year. As of Monday, we gain back three seconds of daylight. That is the best news all year. :)
Ziemas un Saulgriezu kalnos
Saule un cilveki kapj -
Parlukot darbus, kas veikti,
Sagaidit jaunos, kas nak...
Ziemas un Saulgriezu kalnos
Saule un cilveki kapj -
Parlukot darbus, kas veikti,
Sagaidit jaunos, kas nak...
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