Random things currently contemplated
- Toilet training Harry doesn't seem be going anywhere. Today I was walking around the house in my socks (odd socks, because Harry eats all my socks and I can't seem to find a pair anywhere) and I stepped in a puddle of pale piss that was indistinguishable from the white porcelain tiles in the dining room. Only when I lifted my foot to inspect the damage could I see the tinge of yellow. I stepped in another puddle as I made my way to the paper towel and disinfectant. Having two disgusting smelly feet took me back to my days of working at the kennels. We would wear gumboots for the pressure washing but we needed to rush around all day and runners were the best bet to avoid constant slipping. By the end of the day all kinds of disgusting liquids seeped through my shoes. I only wore certain socks for work to avoid ruining good pairs and I threw out the runners every few months. My feet were in horrible shape. I swear I had something akin to jungle rot. My skin was practically yellow.
- I made bread for the first time today. I was very proud of myself and I think I shall make it a habit. Although I have not done any calculations, I get the feeling that it is not cost-effective to make your own basic loaves of white or wholewheat bread as they can be bought so inexpensively, but I think specialty breads such as pull-aparts are probably cheaper to make. I made 3 cheese, bacon and onion french roll thingies for probably about $2.50 each. Mostly I just enjoy the kneading the smell of bread so I think I will make it a bit of a habit even if it costs a little more.
- While I walked back to my car after going into the office to change rosters, I had a sudden thought that played out like a little film clip. It was as if it was a government advertisement that was anti-contraception. A man takes out a package of condoms and finds each condom coloured either pink or blue and with a child's name on it. A woman takes out a packet of contraceptive pills and finds the same thing. This thought was not preceeded with thoughts of all the government advertising on at the moments and a "what will they think of next?" pondering, it just came out of nowhere as I thought about a client with a bowel instruction. Maybe my subconscious has a taste for foreboding.
- (I actually had to just look up foreboding as I had the urge to type forbodance but was sure it was not an actual word. Turns out forboding is both a noun and a verb. My grammar is not perfect despite the fact I will almost certainly be a qualified teacher in a little over a year. I only hope to show my students that I don't know it all and that when I encounter a barrier I try to find out more rather than accept defeat and limitations.)
- I am currently reading Nickel and Dimed and it makes for fascinating but depressing reading. The author travelled to various American cities where she attempted to live the life of the working poor. She exposes the miserable and exhausting conditions that so many endure: needing a minimum of two jobs 7 days a week just to live in a crappy motel, not being able to lose a day of work even with a broken ankle, having managers control every minute of their day. Some workplaces don't allow bathroom breaks or drinking and eating over an 8 hour shift (although I suppose if you couldn't pee for 8 hours you probably wouldn't want to risk drinking anything). I like to think things are a little better here. Our award wages are more reasonable ('tipping' jobs in America such as waitressing are only required to pay a little over $2 an hour!) and it seems that welfare is easier to receive and parents especially don't seem to be forced back into the workforce (that I am aware of, if anyone knows otherwise I'd be interested to learn more).
- Xmas is fast approaching (man this year is zooming by) and I am thinking about gifts. My father is easy to buy for: he nominates some new, previously unmentioned hobby. We all buy him something related to the new interest. It is never used and then next Xmas or birthday he has a new hobby he has yet to embark on. My mother is a little trickier. She says "surprise me" which seems to mean "prove how much you know and love me by picking a perfect gift without any hints at all". My sister usually compensates by spending a huge amount of money on some kind of luxury item. This year I have the thought to give my mother I.O.U.s for household tasks my mother hates: cooking (which she does every night even though she works just as much as Dad and hates cooking) and cleaning (which she does herself every week even though it was a joint decision to fire the latest housekeeper). I think she might enjoy this as it would allow her more time to herself. My concern is that it may appear I am just giving this gift to be cheap and not because I think it is something that she would value. On the other hand, my family is getting more and more extravagant with gift-giving and I want to slow the pace a little. When my sister told me she couldn't find any bookstores that sold the Postsecret book I had asked for for my birthday, I told her to just give me a card and no gift. She was horrified.
- My vegetable garden is a week and a half old and is surviving, but not thriving. I don't think my Cos lettuce will make it. It was trampled one too many times by New Puppy before a fence was put up. A couple of the tomato plants look puny. I think part of the problem is a lack of good sun over the past week. I am still daydreaming of a successful Summer harvest
A little overcooked, but not bad for a first try.
Edit- Just picked this up from the wikipedia entry, because it is an excellent excerpt that really says it all:
When someone works for less pay than she can live on ... she has made a great sacrifice for you ... The "working poor" ... are in fact the major philanthropists of our society. They neglect their own children so that the children of others will be cared for; they live in substandard housing so that other homes will be shiny and perfect; they endure privation so that inflation will be low and stock prices high. To be a member of the working poor is to be an anonymous donor, a nameless benefactor, to everyone else.
Obligatory puppy picture:
