I Have a Plan

I have been vegetating in front of the computer for quite some time now, for a couple of reasons mainly physical immobility, chronic pain, depression and… boredom.  Over the past year and a half I have been focused on one area or another quite religiously… maybe fanatically in some cases.  Hey, when you don’t feel  like getting up and dancing and your home pretty much runs itself (with some guidance of course) there’s not much else to do the majority of the time

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I had always been very careful of my internet usage since my wireless plan (broadband) had a limit as to how much I could use without breaking the bank… Out of pure frustration with that and the limits  that were set, I went out in search of a better way.  Eventually I decided on DSL.  For the most part I am very content with my choice.  The only drawback is when I travel.  Broadband wireless cards are great for travel.  Anyway, since I don’t go many places and when I do the trips are very short I figure I can live without it for temporary occasions, although not always a happy camper about it, I live through it as best as I can.

Recently a storm caused me to lose my DSL for 3 days.  Somehow we (hubby and I) both lived as I didn’t kill him with my spare time and boredom… he found it best to stay outside as much as he could.  He is slowly learning to not interfere with a discontent menopausal woman.  When the repairman left and had DSL up and running again he peeked inside the house and asked if everything was working okay before he would come inside.  Is there something about a discontent menopausal woman that scares a 6ft. 285lb. man?  You betcha!

See, I seem to go from one obsession to another and when such a “passion” is being pursued it is best not to interrupt and wake the sleeping monster inside.  It started out with a simple blog – and I do mean simple.  I had never blogged before and was on my own to figure out how to set up a page with templates, etc.  Then I obsessively wrote things for my blog (you are now getting some of my best works interspersed with my ongoing brilliance).  I had more entries ready to post than I actually added to my blog as I had decided I’d never post more than once a day.  Needless to say, after 3-4 months I dwindled away to other important ventures…

Then, I built a city… It was magnificent and I longed to live there, even if it did require managing a factory, car dealership, electronics & department stores, a vineyard and an industrial farm.  There were gardens, water fountains, museums, theaters and fast food restaurants.  My city was so magnificent that the US govt. felt impressed to move the White House, Pentagon and a few other key buildings to my city, even the UN also decided it was a good idea.  After all, this city was beautiful and had it all.  It only took me a little over 1,100 hours (might be an underestimate) to build such a fabulous place to reside.  Ahhh… my own fantasy world where money was no object and life was good considering sometimes reality truly does suck.

Fantasy rarely  lasts forever though.  Due to circumstances beyond my control (I’m internet challenged - okay, so I was in control), I somehow managed to permanently delete my facebook account while trying to keep up with the never ending chaos of privacy and security settings.  Needless to say I set my privacy & security settings so high that even I couldn’t breech them despite knowing the password.  In the process my city was forever deleted.  Did I mention that reality sometimes sucks?  That is what happens when you access games through your facebook account and you have no clue of what else you are doing on the computer.

I set up a new facebook account.  In reality it was a good way to clear out my friends list from people I didn’t personally know except through the gaming community.  Mind you, I did keep a few of my gaming friends… just because they are wonderful people I developed friendships with over the course of building my own wonderful reality in its entire splendor.   I was very disappointed not to regain access to this place of mental refuge.  I suppose it is gone much like the Lost City of Gold, and other ancient civilizations.  Thus I needed a new avenue to pursue…

I was then introduced to Swag Bucks, an online rewards system where by doing menial things at the computer (most of which I already did) I could earn swag bucks.  Swag bucks can be redeemed for real life stuff.  I have become very good at gathering these swag bucks.  I cashed in (continue to cash in) for such goodies as amazon.com gift cards – my favorite, although there are many other things to cash those swag dollars in on.  Since January I have acquired enough swag bucks to cash in those amazon cards and buy my youngest son and his sweet wife a wedding gift, I replaced our cordless phone with one that didn’t interfere with wifi and has two handsets, and a new kitchen faucet (my husband loved me buying him such a project).  I have yet to actually get something for myself and now my middle son is getting married soon and I will need a wedding gift for him and his bride. BTW… you can join me at Swag Bucks at http://www.swagbucks.com/refer/t8ergrl  I’d love the company and you’ll love the rewards.

When I do something I do it wholeheartedly and such as it has been with these ventures.  For over a year now the only time my wireless mouse has not been in my hand is for necessary ventures to doctors, grocery stores and Church, oh, and necessary bodily functions.   That may be a tiny bit of an exaggeration but not by much.  

I have found myself in need of these distractions for the last year or two however.  Immobility issues are no picnic on their own, couple it with menopause and my last one leaving the nest has not been easy by any means.  I don’t think if it had been for these distractions my husband would have lived, or let me live (whichever the case might be).  Somehow I have found a wee bit of sanity and solace by staying occupied in things that demand great attention to detail since the nest has emptied and the hormones have played tricks on my mind.  I know I need to get out of my chair and actually live my life beyond the keyboard and mouse… I also know when other people reiterate what I already know myself it kind of burns my britches a bit.  I figure everything in its own time and I don’t need someone else to push me off a cliff no matter how well meaning they might be... after all, I AM old enough to be menopausal.

I’’m trying to find a bit of balance in my life, even if it is only a virtual one at the moment.  I am actually learning to obsess about more than one thing at a time… That is actually better than the other multi-tasking I do of sneezing and peeing at the same time.   

I have began blogging again… this time having a few more computer skills than before and was finally able to design a blog that is more fitting to me than a cookie cutter one.  I’ve found it quite interesting actually… just the mechanics alone.

I am continuing on with Swag Bucks on a daily basis, not with quite the amount of 24/7 gusto as before, but I have found a steady pace that seems more realistic and allows for a few other things in my life (even if they are mostly virtual).

A dear loved one made the mistake of introducing me to Pinterest… Yep, yet another obsession, but in a good way.  Pinterest has opened my eyes to things I was previously passionate about and just put on the back burner or forgot about altogether.  It has been an amazing eye opener to possibilities I hadn’t even thought of… real things to be passionate about.  It has also re-ignited the passion of going to yard sales when mobility allows, to feed the obsessions and passions of hobbies I forgot about or never even considered before.

I had forgotten about how much there was inside myself a passion to create and collect and learn new things.  I forgot how much I loved things like tea cups and craft ideas that I can’t say “been there done that” about.  I forgot how when I was a kid we made jewelry and other things from silverware.  I forgot all the possibilities a mason jar possesses.  I forgot there were things I wanted to learn how to do and things I want to make. 

 Pinterest has helped me to remember things that I otherwise would have never re-visited them, or considered them at all.  I actually have a real desire to do something’s, things I can do despite those days when mobility issues stop me from doing others.  I am actually looking forward to a few things I have discovered.  

Some of these things require a reigniting of my passion for yard sales on days when I am mobile enough and have a few quarters in my pocket, however… I am now on a mission.  Rather than just the random purchases I’ve made so long, I have specific things to look for.  I have a purpose and a ‘shopping list’ if you will.  See, now I have plans… something that hasn’t happened for years.   

Yep, I have plans.