Stitcherific

Lately, my drug of choice has been embroidery. It’s become that thing I want to do when I crave total relaxation. I think it’s the calming effect of putting all of your focus on precise, neat stitches that is so relaxing to me. Now I understand why women of times of yore spent hours upon hours stitching. It’s one of the most relaxing activities in the history of all time.* (*fact)

Before stitching, logic puzzles seduced me. When I was stressed or worn out, there was no better relief than focusing all of your mind power on whether John wore the blue shoes and walked to school or if he wore the brown boots and rode the bus… Though they sound innocuous enough, logic puzzles require a huge amount of focus and you cannot have your mind on anything else in order to complete them.

I think it’s that focus on something that doesn’t really matter, like stitches or puzzle solutions, that provides relief to me. It’s the escape from my usual thought patterns and anxieties that I crave. I guess it’s the same reason why drinkers drink and druggies do drugs…to escape your life for a little while.

Well, until I start exhibiting the signs of addiction (like stitching alone, missing work because of stitching, spending all of my money on thread, or getting arrested be being too crafty in public) I will continue to endeavor to embroider.

I Am The Hare

I am the hare. In the story of the tortoise and the hare…I am the hare. You see, the hare has a lot going for him in the story; he’s efficient, he’s talented, and he’s capable. He has so much potential, but even with all of those good qualities…at the end of the day, he’s the loser.

I’m not calling myself a loser per se, I’m just saying that the hare and I have more qualities in common than I am comfortable with. And in the spirit of public self-improvement, I’ll share them with you:

-I often start out too strong and don’t pace myself. This is classic Capable Girl stuff. For example, if I start a workout plan, I usually go ‘b’s’ to the ‘w’ and end up injuring myself or looking like an idiot.

-I am often overconfident in my ability to schedule the appropriate time it takes to successfully complete a task. For example, I’m the gal who has a two mile long ‘to do’ list and is delusional enough to believe that I can have it all done by morning. Like the time that I planned on making a from scratch cake, make the icing, ice it, embroider a gift, do my laundry, and clean my apartment all in the same night. Yeah right. At the end of that night, I accomplished nothing but making myself crazy.

-I love naps. (No example needed here)

As I reread the fable today, I made a promise to myself to take on some more tortoise-like behaviors. Pace myself, endure even when the competition is fierce, and don’t panic. Pretty good advice, if I do say so myself.

Awww, Crap

So, last week was not a great one. Super busy, hectic, didn't get to exercise, etc., etc. Me, being a glass is half full kinda gal, was holding out hope that this week would be better. Ha.

My day started out rather normal until I hit a curb while running a work errand and busted the sidewall of my rear tire. You have to know that I have always taken pride in the fact that I can change my own tire. Capable Girl, after all, is the name of my blog and that ain't no kawinkidink. (Amazing that spell check doesn't recognize the widely used, but infrequently written word 'kawinkidink')

Anyways, there I was in 93 degree heat, dressed in black (and pantyhose for gosh sakes), getting my lug nuts off when three gallant gentlemen stopped to come to my aid. They helped me change out the busted tire for the spare (which, ironically, also turned out to be flat).

A co-worker came to pick me up so that I could finish my work related errand and be free to deal with my tire issues and bring the car in to the nearest shop. After she dropped me back off to my car and left, I realized that I left my glasses in her car and was stuck wearing my dang-old prescription sunglasses. This would have normally been no problem, but I hit the car shop right at lunch time...so I was stuck waiting on my car in a restaurant across the street from the shop for nearly two hours-- wearing my sunglasses, since I am blind without glasses. What a freak.

Anyways, after the first shop gave me an OUTRAGEOUS estimate to fix one flippin' tire, I had to transfer my poor car to a much more reasonably priced store (one where you often see freaky people, so I feel like I stood out a lot less walking around with my sunglasses on inside).

After talking to a man who looked like he had possibly been in the band REO Speedwagon for a few minutes, I calmed down and thought...it could always be worse. And that's true...flat tires are never welcome...but if that's the worst thing that happens to me this week, I think I'll be a-okay.

Maids & Matrons

Ok. I have to be honest here. I have no idea what to write about today, so I decided to share my bridesmaid fashion with you.

So, my ladies will be wearing a black cocktail dress of their choice, black shoes, an orange pashmina, and I am making some super cute red shoe clips for their shoes. I'm kind of going for an uncomplicated, painless approach to bridesmaidery. After all, my bridesmaids are scattered all over the country and it would only complicate things (an possibly inspire me to elope) if I had to co-ordinate sizes, styles, ordering, and payments.

I'm hoping the red flowers/shoe clips will balance out the black and orange (i.e. halloween-esque) aesthetic of the dresses and pashminas. After all, who wants their wedding guests to start craving candy corn as you are about to walk down the aisle? Though I knew that the halloweenish color scheme could be problematic, I love the idea of red and orange being my wedding colors--so I'm going with it....candy corn cravings be damned!

How Bizarre

Today has been a peculiar day. It started off strange and I have a feeling it will end that way, too. I guess we all have a strange day from time to time…just as we have bad days or tired days or happy days. The good thing about weird days is that they are not particularly bad days….just strange. Indulge me as give you snippets from my weird day:

I woke up wrestling to escape from a very weird dream that included me searching for lost pennies. If I didn’t find them all, the world would possibly end.

I got to work and there was shattered glass everywhere, a brick on the floor and a flat screen t.v. missing.

I had a very odd exchange with a vending machine salesperson who inquired about the pricing of all of our items in the vending machine while cracking ‘jokes,’ and saying “You’re my kind of girl” in response to nearly everything I said.

I had a strange conversation with a male little person that had severe halitosis, but excellent knowledge of carpet installation.

I went to a gas station to get a drink and there were people randomly standing in every single available parking space. Ok, ok, this is more irritating than weird, but whatever.

I had uncomfortable eye contact with a glass installation guy. He looked at me like I was a big juicy hamburger and he hadn’t eaten for a week. It wasn’t a ‘I think you’re pretty’ type of a stare, rather it was a ‘she puts the lotion in the basket’ type of a stare. (insert shivers down my spine here)

Anyways, the day if far from over, so who knows what bizarre things lay ahead of me…maybe I will actually save the world via penny searching.

I wish...

waking up in Cappadocia, Turkey. I wish I woke before dawn to sail through the skies in a hot air ballon.

After my hot air ballon trip, I wish I had several hours to roam the streets with my camera, followed a candle lit dinner here:

After my meal (and Turkish coffee), I wish I were retiring to this cave hotel:

where I would dream of the muted Turkish terrain, nestled deep in the cave walls.

Gotcha

I ran across a great quote from Cate Blanchett recently and it struck a chord with me. The great Ms. Blanchett was quoted as saying, "I'm not focused on what other people think of me. Some people get you and some people don't, and to spend your life trying to make people understand how deep and complex and varied you are -- I think that way lies madness." I find this to be so very true.

We all do it to some degree. We all want to show people that we are good at what we do, that we are multi-talented, deep-thinking individuals—that’s human nature. And we’ve all crossed the lines a time or two by trying too hard. Every time I try too hard to show someone who I am, I always, always end up with egg on my face.

If I try to hard to show people that I am a stylish and cool person, I end up looking like an Olsen twin. If I try too hard to be smart and deep, I inevitably say something completely inane and inaccurate and it becomes painfully obvious that a) I am not smart and not astute enough to know when to keep my yapper shut, and b) I am so desperate to be liked that I am willing to lie to you.

It’s the folks that will sacrifice their dignity to prove to you that they are deep and complex that have a problem. These types of people never give you the chance to find out who they are—because they are too busy throwing their identity in your face. What they don’t understand is that the people that will get you will get you and the people that don’t—won’t, so don’t waste your time.

I think that if you use all of your energy trying to communicate who you are to people that don’t get you, you have precious little energy to invest in the people that do get you. And that, my friends, is a shame. Every time I’ve tried to be ‘gotten’ by a person that doesn’t get me, it’s been a real waste of my energy. (a big shout out to many of my ex-boyfriends--you know who you are.)

Can You Keep A Secret?

I have to keep a big secret and I hate every minute of it. The worst part about said secret is that it is causing me undue stress and I can't really get it off of my chest...because of its hush-hush nature.

Unlike many others, I can keep a secret. I hate it, but if anything, I am obedient. If I am told not to say anything, then mum's the word. Though it is within my capability to keep secret, it doesn't mean that I enjoy doing so. There's no substitute for the instant relief you get when you can finally let the words fly out of your mouth. Yet, do so prematurely, and that instant relief turns into fear that you've opened a door that cannot be closed again...and behind that door there are monsters.

So, for now, (though it pains me so) I will continue to zip ye old lips and anxiously await the day when I can sing like a bird.

Walk This Way

So lately, I’ve been walking for fitness. I begrudgingly went the first few times, my body protesting. It’s amazing how addictive inactivity is. On my first day back to fitness, I felt like an alcoholic being denied a drink for the first time in 20 years. My muscles bellyached as I started out, pleading me to please go back to my couch and watch more Netflix-based entertainment. Ignoring their pleas, I forged on.

As I walked, and walked, and walked, my muscles stopped screaming, and started humming. Strangely, the tune they were humming sounded amazingly like Aerosmith’s “Back in the Saddle Again.”

The good news about muscle addiction is that just as they can be addicted to idleness, they can also become addicted to exercise. Now that I have weaned myself off of complete jabba-the-hut-like inactivity, I am actually craving my afternoon walks.

So, these days, if you need me and can’t find me, I may be out walking. Walking away calories, cares, and concerns…and possibly humming some Aerosmith.

Hear Ye! Hear Ye!

After a long, long busy period at work, things are getting back to normal and I think I will have the energy and mental fortitude to starting blogging fairly regularly again. This makes me happy.

I shall return in full form tomorrow for your reading enjoyment.

I missed you!

XOXO,

Capable '"of being tremendously busy" Girl