Anticipation

My anticipation for the "Wicked Faire" Event at SWEET SALVAGE is intensifying, Opening Day will be Thursday.  A few Sneak Peeks have been enjoyed on their FB Page, along with some Flashback Pixs from last Year's Event for Halloween.   On Monday our Agent is showing us that Historic Home we're considering, which is quite close to The Sweet and so many other places.  I'm so excited, but the prospect of buying, selling, moving around the Holidays is more than a little terrifying!  More terrifying than anything Halloween could conjure up!  *LOL*

I have complete Faith in our Agent, he's Fantastic, so if anyone can align The Sun, The Moon and The Stars in our Favor it would be him!   I'm Jazzed to be able to get in to see the interior so soon and as it happens our Agent has worked with the Seller's Agent numerous times, which is fortuitous.   The Home is vacant so the Seller won't have the enormous task we'd be having should we decide to buy it and sell this.  I've already had one Anxiety attack Today as I went into The Purge Mode as if on steroids!  *LOL*

I already got an entire Hallway filled with Donations to take to The Goodwill Tomorrow Morning!   I'm being Selective about what I brought into the Antique Mall to Sell Today and won't bother so much with Selling the minutia.  Settling on the bigger ticket items to take up space in my Showroom and Booth, since space is limited.  The Laws of Reciprocity just being what they always are, I'm Okay with Donating a lot and just Selling the better items on a time crunch.  Our Mall was having a Big 3 Day Sale so I'm glad I took my two Days Off to devote to this and getting my Truck repaired.

I only spent the Morning and Evening Purging Possessions tho', the Afternoon was devoted to The Man insisting we go by the other Property to see what the Neighborhood is like on the Weekends?   I could see he was just wanting to really spend more time there and also bring Princess T along to see it.  She was timid about Moving at first, she's not the most Social person and just the thought of having to make new Friends somewhere else terrifies her!  But she got more excited when she saw where it was and how much to do is so close by!  She'd rather hang out with me right now anyway to do stuff... and the prospect of a Favorite Mall SO close by, a Public Library, a YMCA, Light Rail, Theater, Coffee Shops, great Restaurants and her "Little Ceasar's" really did Appeal to her!

She had me to drive past where the Schools are but wasn't excited about the prospect of having to wear School Uniforms again or to go where she knows nobody.  So, she was bringing up the subject of Home Schooling again... and we'll just have to ponder that alternative... it intimidates the shit out of me to consider it, since I already can't help her with Homework, let alone BE her Teacher!  *LOL*   Well, she said, I usually Fail all my Classes anyway Gramma so you couldn't do a worse job than my Teachers have for the past few Years... the Kid has a point there!  *Le Sigh*

This Month THE HIGHLAND YARD VINTAGE Event will be the same days as The Sweet, so I don't know if I'll be able to make it to that one clear across the Valley or not?   But, I'd like to try to, since by then perhaps my Truck Lock situation might be solved and I got the new Windshield done this Morning.  The Dealership couldn't get me in 'til Tuesday Morning, but I did talk to them about the situation and how terrifying it is to have Lock failure to where you could get trapped inside the vehicle and not be able to get out... or locked outside of it and unable to get in!  For now I just cannot lock it at all and risk either situation.

But Honestly, I Feel really Positive Vibes right now and am sending them out to everyone else as well!   The whole Family seemed Energized after just visiting that Historic Property and driving around the area it's in.   We are putting our 38+ Acre Ranchsite up for Sale regardless and setting aside any proceeds from that Sale for a Move... so that is encouraging.  Our Agent feels we can set up Contingencies in the terms of trying to buy the Historic Property, since we're solid Buyers and he has a reputation as a Solid Realtor among his Peers.  So it's Feeling and Getting Real... so a mixture of Panic and Excitement is setting in now!

It is said that a Move is only slightly less Stressful than a Death and is the No. 2 most Stressful thing people go thru!   I don't know how my Parents moved every single Year to 18 Months for most of their Adult lives, back when the Military used to transfer you way more frequently than they do now?  But, then again, when you Travel Light, it's not so burdensome... I myself, as an Adult, probably have had a Dozen Moves under my Belt so far!   For the majority of them, I Traveled Light and was a Nomad, so you Live differently when you don't Intend to Settle Down or Stay Put.

The last Big Move from our Historic Homestead to here was particularly Stressful due to the Circumstances surrounding it and because we'd Intended for our Old Property to be The Forever Home.  So we'd settled in and had a lot to Purge and to move over here.   There was a host of other things going on simultaneously, so it was exhaustive, that Move... with the Adoption still dragging on, The Man's Catastrophic Accident Rehabilitation, buying a Luxury Home and disposing of a Beloved Home with hardly any Debt load... to take on a huge Debt load of this one!   So, now, it will be somewhat reversed as this other Historic Home is far more reasonably priced and budget friendly, more manageable for me to maintain on all levels.

The Money we'd be Saving Monthly is a LOT... which will make a definite difference to Lifestyle Options we'd rather pursue.   Sure, having a Luxury Home has been a Fab Experience in so many ways and this was a once in a Lifetime Deal due to the Luxury Home Market Crisis, I won't discount that Fact.  But, a Home really has to match up to it's inhabitants and their preferred way of Being, this one just has never managed to.   As Gorgeous as it is, it's a lot of House... a lot of Expense... wrong Community... wrong Location for us... for it to have been a comfortable Fit.   When there is a misfit, then you Feel like a Misfit there and it's uncomfortable to remain!

As a Moderate Person who prefers Modest Living, I just never got into the Living Large Lifestyle as a Goal I ever set.   I set a lot of Goals, I'm Goal Oriented, but my Goals were probably quite different than the Goals of many people, even those I know Well and have a great Relationship with.   After all, I'm that Woman that looks at Ruins, derelict Design and Style, Faded Opulence long past it's Appeal to the masses... and sees it all thru an Appreciative Eye.   The 1940's Home we'll be looking at was known as The Boone House and has a History, which has put it on the Historic Registry of Phoenix.  Daniel and Clara Boone being the original Owners in 1940.   She was born about 1911 in Oklahoma and they had Two Children, a Daughter and a Son.  So she'd of been about 29 when the Home was built.

Anyway, I Love preserving History, it's something I have always had a strong Urge to just do... whether it's a piece of Real Estate or some random Object of little or no actual Value, but with a History worth preserving.   I think why I feel a strong desire to own this Historic Home we'll be viewing is that it has been kept 100% Original, no real Updates to Modernize it and I'm Okay with that.  What is there from 1940 is still functional to live Today without any hardships or inconveniences IMO.   The only thing I'll get New are Appliances, which it has none, so I can decide what kind of Fridge and Stove we want and that would gel nicely with the Vibe of the 1940's Kitchen?

And there's one additional Fireplace somewhere in the Center of the Home that wasn't in the Listing Images and cannot be seen from peeking in so I'm excited to see what it looks like?   The Kiva Adobe Fireplace in the Livingroom is Awesome and has a large exterior Chimney on the back of the Home.  But there is a Brick Victorian looking Chimney in the Center of the Home's Roof, so there must be another Fireplace... I just Hope it hasn't been Bricked over or removed?  The new Roof was installed in 2012 and for an Adobe Structure, the Roof is everything to keep Adobe dry and everlasting.

I'm just Hopeful everything works out and I'll know how we'll be moving Forward?   Even if The Purge is premature and we don't buy something else right now, it was necessary and just got ramped up by the prospect of Moving and there's no downside to that either!  *LOL*   And it has made me quickly have to sort out, what I could Live without if I really had to decide in the Moment what to discard or leave behind?   And you wouldn't Believe how much Progress I made in a single Day, I even Surprised myself! So if I keep up this pace and momentum, then there is no telling how quickly I'll plow thru all of our Objects and perhaps be able to Travel Lighter, when ever that will be?

*******

Blessings, Love, Light and Positive Vibe Energies from the Arizona Desert... Dawn... The Bohemian

Failures And Fantasies

So for the 2nd time since I've owned this expensive 2016 Nissan Titan Truck the Door Locks failed!   The last time it happened, a much younger Princess T got locked inside the Truck's back Cab... and you couldn't force the Doors open from the inside or the outside and we had to extract her thru a Window!   Thank God it hadn't been The Man... we never could have hauled him out thru a Window!  And in our harshly Hot Desert Climate, getting locked inside a vehicle and trapped could be a Death sentence, or during an Accident where you wouldn't be able to get out, so it's serious business for the Locks to fail!  

When it's over 100 degrees getting locked outside ain't too pleasant either! That first time Nissan did a complimentary one-time replacement of the faulty Locks after I threw a fit that they wanted to try to charge me $1,600 at the Dealership!  Apparently in this expensive vehicle the Lock mechanisms are made of cheap Plastic that dries out in extremes of Heat or Cold!  This time I got locked outside of the Truck and it took 40 minutes to break in and drive Home!  I was sweating my Ass off and calling in to Work to say I wouldn't be coming in for my Evening Shift or the next day's Evening Shift while I try to get it back in to the Dealership to see what's gone wrong this time?!

Not being able to lock your vehicle in the City is problematic, tho' if someone stole it by now I'd probably be more relieved to just get something as a replacement that isn't such an expensive piece of crap, where small things break and malfunction all of the time!  Nissan used to make a quality vehicle worth what you invested in it, guess now they just sell more expensive yet cheaply made ones?   I'm getting a Windshield replaced in the Morning, so I couldn't bring it in for immediate attention to the Dealership, since I didn't want to cancel the Home Visit to replace the cracked Windshield I've been driving around with since July!  My Schedule always being hectic, that's how things go.

As you can clearly see by my Shared Images Today, The Man had convinced me we should still go look at that Historic Home I'm Lusting after and see what kind of Neighborhood it's in and what it's near?   Well, that might have been a Mistake since we both fell MORE in Lust with wanting to own it now, Beautiful Quiet Older Neighborhood where the Lots were Rural Huge but in the Heart of the City.  So you feel it's Rural, yet you're near everything and all the Homes are well Cared for and a real Community Feel.  They even have a Community Garden on the next Street over on a large Lot!  It's walking distance to The Light Rail and so much else... and the Property... is Sublime to our Eyes!

You have to call our Agent and see what we can do, The Man says after he'd inspected the entire exterior.  Usually I'm the one more excited about Historic Homes, but I could tell this one had Moved him too!   He even insisted we go back, after Brunch in the City {it happens it's near his all time Fav Restaurant our Friend Chai owns} and have another Look See and schedule a Showing next Week.   Well, he's Serious... which was shocking in and of itself since he Loves Villa Boheme' and I never thought I'd pry him out of here!  I ain't gonna lie, I could SEE us all living there, even Princess T now.  The exterior of the Front Door with it's Stained Glass Window needs refinishing... I could see Painting it a Taos Pueblo NM Turquoise for an Inviting Pop!  You can't do that where there's HOA... their Approved drab Palette not being my Artsy Hippie/Gypsy Style!  *LOL*

We went and looked at the Schools and how far away they were... drove several blocks around the area to see if any Negs were clearly evident, they weren't.  We'll now go back one Evening to see if it's still devoid of the Inner City concerns and reservations I'd have being in the Heart of Phoenix?  And it IS in the very Heart of Phoenix, which has more upside than downside if you're making a List and checking it twice.  Gentrification of the area is rampant right now so prices won't stay reasonable for long and a huge College Campus, GCU, is expanding just a few blocks away.

  Trendy Restaurants, Coffee Shops and Shops are springing up all around and there are several fav Grocery Stores nearby and a wealth of Public Transportation that is inexpensive if you don't wanna drive.  The Senior all day Pass rate for Light Rail and Student Rate for Princess T would be far cheaper than driving my big ole' Truck everywhere.   "Little Ceasar's" is the closest Fast Food Joint and she LIVES for their Hot Wings, so there's that.  It's literally at the end of the Street and slightly to the Left... beside a "Goodwill" no less!   When she has one of her cravings for them, it's a slam dunk and my Goodwill Hunting or Donating would be mighty handy at that location!  *LOL*

There is a Gym next to the "Goodwill" so we might also renew a Membership, we used to have one before The Man's catastrophic accident.   How handy to have a 5 Minute Walk to a Nice Gym?   The Property was a much larger Lot than I anticipated and had more Mature Tree Cover than the Listing Images revealed too, it's super Shady in front and back... which is Huge in a Desert!   All Xeriscape drought hardy Native Trees too, Old weathered Mesquite and Palo Verde, several Old Majestic Palms and Mature Bougainvillea.   There is one Dead Pepper Tree in front, that would have to go as a prerequisite.  Most of the Garden, Front and Back, is a blank Canvas to Design around the Mature Trees.  There's a large Flagstone Patio between the Main House and The Laundry/Garage Structure.  I could see putting a large Pergola over that Area.

 But a Mud N Straw Adobe Block Home is some of the best Natural Insulation for a Desert you can have and when you Love The Earth as much as I do, it's Visceral the Connection you Feel to the very Walls of such a structure!  Adobe Structures have existed in these types of Desert Climates around the World for over 700 Years and if well maintained they are durable and resilient.  The Native American Pueblos have been the longest continuously occupied structures in North America.   The Garage Structure of this Property even still has the dirt Floor and smells of The Earth in the most pleasant way.   I could see converting that eventually into the Art Studio Structure and installing a Fancier Garage Door.

If we can find a way to buy this then I am becoming more convinced we should try to, my gut instinct about it was just like it had been when we bought our Beloved Historic Homestead, Love Affair at first sight and a Positive Vibe you couldn't deny or resist!  So, we'll see after I call Germaine and talk about liquidating some other assets, like our paid off 38+ Ranch Acreage up North, which we'll do whether or not we're buying anything else.   Another Plus, like all Historic Homes of that Era, the Rooms are intimate and cozy, so I'd be pressed to downsize considerably from 4,350 sf to 1,592 in one fell swoop.  Even tho' it has a large Adobe Garage and Laundry Building, I don't want to drag everything over there if we did do another Big Move.

Like last time, I'd want to Liquidate a lot and just not bother paying to move it anywhere and then have to Sell it off.   When we moved here I barely took any Furniture from our Historic Property.  I Sold it from there and just brought over my Hoard of Smaller Lovelies and about 40% of my Architectural Salvage collected over a Lifetime.  I've vowed that should I move again to a smaller Forever Downsized Property, I'll only take what is most Beloved and the rest will be up for grabs to my Picker Friends and Industry Friends... plus have a Living Estate Sale to liquidate whatever isn't moving fast enough out the Doors!

Yes, I'll Keep my Antique Mall Spaces, but I don't want off-site Storage to pay for nor do I want all kinds of Inventory Stored at any new Forever Property.  That's not what I envision wanting to Deal with.  If we're going to move towards Simplifying Life, why not start afresh at doing that and see how it Feels when you have the unique opportunity to?   Anyway, I don't want to hang too much Hope on a Major Purchase just yet.  But I am Excited about the Prospect, I ain't gonna lie.  The Man and I came ALIVE again just having our Feet on THAT Soil, discussing the Possibilities of what we'd DO with it and the Lifestyle we'd lead there opposed to here, where we merely Exist albeit in Luxury!  It Felt Right, it Felt like what ignites Passion in us for the Lifestyle we Desire and prefer.  It Felt like we'd finally come back Home.

*******

Blessings, Love, Light and Hope from the Arizona Desert... Dawn... The Bohemian

Finding Perfect At An Imperfect Time In An Imperfect World

I always seem to locate the potential Perfect Forever Home at an Imperfect Time in this Imperfect World, when I just can't buy Real Estate yet nor dispose of this one.  *Le Sigh*  I located a great Deal on a 1940's Territorial Historic Adobe on a large lot near everything I could want in the City.  It would be my Vision of a Forever Home in just about every way... and way more affordable in Retirement than Villa Boheme', plus no HOA, I lusted after the Listing Images.  The Good thing being it's in the City... and the Bad thing being it's in the City!   

Yep, Urban Issues while still raising a Family just can't make it possible 'til I get this last Grandchild Grown.  *Le Sigh*  That's a minimum of 4.5 Years out... which seems close and yet sometimes seems like an eternity in Senior Years.  Because when you get to a certain Age, well... 4.5 Years is more like Dog Years than Human Years.  Tick-Tock and all that rapid deterioration stuff that goes on in your Sixties, Seventies, Eighties and beyond if you manage to even make it that far out!?

The Man is Six Years my Senior, so he'll be in his 70's by the time we get Princess T raised.   He's not in great shape now, what with the Traumatic Brain Injury plus Physical Disability and major Health Issues... so the Clock ticks off loudly to us about how long relocation might even be possible?!   We should go look at it he says... but, Why bother?   Urban Issues plus low rated Schools in the Inner City is no place to drag a 14 Year Old Girl Child to, no matter how much the property might suit her Grandparents for a Forever Home match! *Le Sigh*

I not so voluntarily gave up my Historic Forever Home to get The G-Kid Force Adopted and finish raising them... so, this is the better environment for me to finish the task.   One raised... one to go... and I know that this area, tho' it isn't my Jam at all... is far better for her to finish growing up.   When you're Young and raising your Children all the Family Friendly benefits of buying a Home don't change just because you're Aging Seniors still raising your Grandchildren.  Things like Schools, Crime, most Wholesome Environment are still crucial aspects of where you choose.

Even tho' she still doesn't do Well in "A" rated School Systems due to her Special Needs, what she might be exposed to in a low rated Inner City School System makes me shudder too much to even contemplate!  Especially since next Year she'll be entering High School and these will be some of the most vulnerable Years for any Child to potentially go off the Rails and be at risk to go sideways or associate with the wrong people.  Yes, they still could, even in an Idyllic situation with every opportunity afforded to them, I know this... but why stack the odds against them?

Our Kids grew up in the Hood... and The G-Kid Force did for a good portion of their Childhood prior to the Adoption.   So I have no delusions of the particular challenges of Urban Issues and raising a Family in the City where the affordable housing exists.   Housing that doesn't put a strain on a fixed income after Retirement becomes necessary... well, it is a consideration and it is scarcer nowadays.   I've had paid off affordable Homes before this one, this Home will never be paid off.   It isn't what I consider an affordable Home even tho' I got a killer Deal on it when the Luxury Home Market hit the skids at just about the right time and so did Interest Rates.

Sure, there ARE Choice areas of the Inner City too, they are NOT at a price point I can consider at all... plus, the Schools still suck unless you can afford Private Schooling too.   Acreage with even a crappy House on the outskirts of the City is at a premium too.   Finding Homes without an HOA around here means you must buy an Older Home.   I'm not opposed to Older Homes, I prefer them in fact, but Older Homes are in Older Areas and until they are Gentrified, which skyrockets the cost, Older areas typically have the most Urban Issues.   Gentrification is happening rapidly in the Inner City so if you can snag an Up And Coming Area Home, you might could squeeze in on a Budget.

This particular Historic Home {above} was on the Historic Registry, well kept, lovely to look at inside and out... quirky, which is how I like a OOAK Historically significant Home.  With exposed Adobe Brick Walls inside and outside {the interior Adobe Walls having a Laquer Bath to make them Shiny}, Adobe Beehive Fireplaces, numerous Hardwood Floors, some thick Board Knotty Pine Walls and Ceilings, almost all original to it's Era and in a Good way.  A decent looking well kept Older Neighborhood... but that can be deceiving in the Inner City.   The Freaks come out at Night... and after Dark a lot of decent looking Inner City Neighborhoods can have to endure the Criminals, the Junkies and the Homeless Populations that Metropolis just have that roam around freely and cause problems.  Phoenix being the 5th largest Metropolitan City in the Nation... only behind NY, LA, Chicago and Houston... we have our fair share of Urban Issues.

I liked the bold Talavera and Mexican Tiling Accents in the Kitchen and Bathrooms, which many Architecturally significant Territorial Homes have.  I liked the high Ceilings and White original Cabinetry in the Kitchen. It even had an Adobe Structure stand alone Garage and Workshop, with some Adobe Courtyard Wall.  The Price Point was very Budget Friendly. Now, out here in the Boonies of Rural pretentious Subdivision Hell we have about zero Crime, no Homeless and you don't see Crackheads and Tweakers hanging around anywhere.   When you have a Child you're raising, that is HUGE to live where it is Safer and their Freedom isn't as compromised.   At School she's associating with Kids from good Homes who've been afforded Opportunities that none of the Kids in the Hood ever had.  That doesn't mean there aren't Issues out here too, they are just less obvious.  The Young Prince liked to sarcastically Joke that the only difference between here and the Hood was that these Kids of privilege can buy the better Drugs and the Kids from the Hood are likely the ones Selling it to them.

But, as a Gramma trying to raise up a new Generation, I like to at least Imagine that if I give them the very best opportunities and environment we can barely afford, perhaps they'll avoid some of the collateral damage of growing up in complex Modern Society?   Two out of our Three Adult Children didn't avoid the Drug Scene, tho' The Son did stay out of Gangs, which was no small feat being raised in an Older Urban Neighborhood.   The G-Kid Force's Mama was my Prodigal Wild Child, she swears she'd of turned out that way regardless of where ever she had been raised... mebbe she just says that to make me feel better about not living beyond our means while they were growing up, I dunno?

The Son mirrors that sentiment tho', he is adamant that by the Teen Years, most Kids are just gonna do what they're gonna do despite whatever safeguards the Parents valiantly tried to put in place as a Wholesome Foundation.   I told both of them that it actually didn't make me feel better to hear that opinion... because I don't wanna feel like all this incredible sacrifice was possibly in vain now?!?   I have told The Force that if either of them goes Wheels off the Rails in horrible Lifestyle Choices, that I will feel like I did all of this for nothing!?  They know that is a grave concern of mine, given what happened to their Mom and Uncle struggling with substance abuse and addictions.  The Drug epidemic in this Country just being what it is, I know that it's everywhere... I worked for the D.A.'s Office of this enormous County too long to be delusional about it.

And yet, I still don't want to make it easier for this last one to be around Negative influences that are obvious and abounding where ever she's growing up.   Now that The Young Prince is grown... and I know he's not one to probably be living a Traditional Lifestyle by any stretch of one's Imagination, I only Hope his Genius IQ keeps him Grounded enough to avoid getting messy?  He's known enough people in the struggle of The Life, to really be against that scene.  His Parents hoped that their Bad experiences and wayward Youth was enough of a powerful Testimony to choose a gentler Path for himself?   But everyone ultimately chooses their own Path, gentle or otherwise.

I realize after having Parented Kids for Two Generations now that you cannot take all of the Credit for their Accomplishments nor all of the Blame for their Failures in Life.   Life will play out as it will so long as Free Will is in place... and challenges and temptation exist... that's just how it is.   Some Families Luck Out and things go swell with the raising of Kids, some or perhaps all of them.  Between Nature and Nurture many will choose wisely and go on to Good lives in Adulthood.   That's always the Goal for every Parent... sometimes it works out and sometimes it doesn't... we've been on both ends of that spectrum.   Having raised several Children with Special Needs, that can have some impact with Choices they make, especially if Serious Mental Health is involved.  Self-Medicating being a very high risk factor with many SMI Adults.

Seeking Cures and adequate Management for Diagnosis where there is no Cure was... and still is... an exercise in futility.   But you still always wonder, what else could I have tried to do in order to have a better success rate of Parenting that Child to where they could be more Well... and make Good Choices on a consistent basis to have the Best Life possible?   I'll never have answers to that question, it would all be pure speculation that anything would have turned out differently or not?   When someone is Not Well and is never going to Be Well completely and Cured, you just have to accept that as the Reality in each Moment as Life unfolds.  It is hard and it never gets easier.

But, we will sit tight here at Villa Boheme' I suppose for the next 4.5 Years at the very least and see what happens?   See if after that time period has elapsed, if finding a Perfect Forever Home at a more Perfect Time in this Imperfect World is still possible?   I'm Hopeful that it will be... not so much because this Home isn't Idyllic in a grandiose way... but because I do have concerns about it's sustainability into Older Age and more limited resources over Time?   I don't Need to Live Large... I never have... I'm a Moderate Person prone to living below one's means and having Modest Desires about how I Choose to Live.   If nobody interfered with that Process I would still be living at my Beloved Historic Homestead Debt Free... but I'm not... so... adaptation and improvisation will have to prevail into our Future.

But I sure did have a temporary Lustfest of epic proportions for this Wonderful Historic Property, which would be Idyllic for just The Man and I to settle into as a Forever Home... but probably not with a Family still in tow... I'd have some reservations.   And that kinda Sucks... wanting something so bad and yet having to put your own Needs last for some more Years.  Hoping that Time just doesn't run out before you can finally go for yourself and be Living and Pursuing your own Dreams in the Twilight Years before it's too late to?

   And I just had to Share my Vision of what I'd prefer for Forever to look like for The Man and I.  To settle in and NOT have to pick up and move ever again should we procure such a place, not coerced, but Chosen for exclusively our own Lifestyle preferences and Budget considerations!  It would eliminate a whole lot of stress and expense, so I'm looking forward to that one day again.  While I still vaguely remember what that even Feels like!?

*******

Blessings, Love, Longing and Light from the Arizona Desert... Dawn... The Bohemian

The Blogging Bender

I have found that during the Decade that I've been Blogging, when Life has become particularly complex and stressful, I either go on a Blogging Bender or entirely Cease composing a Blog Post during that time!   Being a person prone to extremes and excess, perhaps that's not so surprising... and this time around I've been on The Blogging Bender!  *LOL*  It's fine, even therapeutic, tho' the Posts are having to be pre-scheduled almost a Week out now in advance so they don't run together on the Page!  *Smiles*   So for a while anyway, ignore the Date of a Post completely since it's not accurate and NO, you haven't warped into the Future or some Time Vacuum by showing up here!

The actual Dates coinciding with the Post aren't relevant to me at all anyway and probably not to any Reader/Visitor either.   Actually, if it weren't for my Shifts at Work, and keeping up with Special Occasions of Loved Ones, I hardly doubt I'd know or Care what Date it was at all?!   Have you found that to be the case as you've Aged too, that what Time it is, what Day it is, what Date it is, just becomes all the more irrelevant to you as the Years pass by?   Truly, I look forward to some future Date where it matters so little that I won't know, won't Care, won't even bother to find out!?  *LOL*   Now, I suppose that could be problematic only if or when some Doc or Paramedic might ask and I couldn't tell them for the life of me!?!  *Bwahahahaha!*

They always ask Who the President is too and I Wish I COULD Forget that!  *Le Sigh*   When someone is unforgettable in a Bad way then we'd just as soon be able to forget about them or not have them intruding in any part of Life.  I've been fortunate not to have had to suffer Negatively intrusive people in Real Life for a long time now... and not to invite someone in who would be potentially toxic and become very unwelcome.   However, on the broader spectrum of the World Stage, we don't have intimate Control of such things and there seems to be a shitload of people, who are Major Players, in the toxic and troublesome category.  Players on the World Stage who do affect a whole lot of people and a whole lot of things that are vitally important to the Planet we all have to Share and try to co-exist on.

I try not to let it really Get To me, since I have no Control over it, but I find that at least from a Funk standpoint, it must be affecting me more than I'd like for it to?   I think it could be affecting a whole lotta people that way actually, Funk abounding lately... and for people that perhaps normally wouldn't even be in one!?   My Blogging Benders do help The Funk... the acknowledgement of it and the dispelling of it in some Posts.   Being Mindful of my Moments, especially the poignant... and the Beautiful ones... is just Helpful to me personally.   Writing and Photography being Wonderful forms of self-expression, combining them in a Blog has been a real Joy for over a Decade now.  

 This little chunk of cyberspace has been a Welcome Retreat which has connected me to an even more Wonderful Community of Souls I would have otherwise probably never had the pleasure of meeting!  I don't know who Invented the First Blog but I owe them a Debt of Gratitude, even tho' the heyday of Blogging has surely passed, from what it once was at it's Pinnacle of Popularity and Use.  It has increased my ability to use Technology beyond that which I would have otherwise been comfortable to even bother to learn at a latter Season of Life.   Being Tech Challenged isn't something that bothers me so much even tho' in Today's World you almost have to know something about all of it to be optimally functional.   I kind of resent that sometimes.

I do resist some things... Parent Portals... Online Banking... doing anything Online that I don't feel Secure nor Comfortable about at all actually.   I simply refuse... much to the chagrin of The Public School System and various Companies we do business with, that would prefer me to enter the 21st Century completely and with utter reckless abandon and naive Trust!  *Winks*   I don't Trust easily, especially when Trust is so easily broken and Crime is so rampant!  Too many Years spent in a Career with the Criminal Justice System jaded me to where I'm perhaps more cynical than most about what could happen... does happen... with alarming regularity in fact!  So I often prefer to Roll Old School on purpose since so few people do anymore and Simplicity avoids Complexity.

  I'm having a Major Dispute right now with Cox Cable about a Modem we turned in to one of their Representatives that now they can't locate and are trying to still charge us for!   I refuse to be extorted for something I relinquished and they received, so that I don't actually owe them anything, even tho' they've turned it over to Collections now.  I will utilize their Collection Agency as a form of handy Venting Therapy while I continue to battle with Cox Executives at every level from the Top on down!  *Winks*   Hilariously, one Customer Service Rep, The Surly Evonne, whoever she is, tried to tell me that there was NOBODY HIGHER or with more Authority than HER that I could speak with!   Please Honey, get over yourself and who are you kidding, that's hysterical?!  *LMAO*  

Supervisors, District Managers, Regional Managers, CEO's of every Corporation exist beyond Customer Service Reps... and I won't waste time or energy on battling with Minions with responsibilities, yet no authority.   Beyond Evonne The Surly tho', the rest of their numerous Customer Service Boys I've spoken to were polite and apologetic that they couldn't be more Helpful.   Evonne sounded to me like a complete Burnout, mebbe time to switch Careers once your People Person Skills have eroded to the point of pissing Customers off and causing an already Bad Situation to just escalate... me thinks... just sayin'!   I hung up on Evonne The Surly, since I won't suffer an abusive, intentionally unhelpful and rude personality, but I will bring them to the attention of their Superiors to Deal with instead.  I don't think Evonne has much of a Future in Customer Service anyway... being clearly challenged with not being Customer nor Service oriented.  *LMAO*

I've Supervised Customer Service, Collections, Foreclosure and Bankruptcy Departments for Major Financial Institutions in my First Corporate Life.  So, I'm not without Awareness that you aren't always Dealing with Clients at their Best when shit has gone Wrong or Situations occur that have to be sorted out and resolved.  But I never retained an Employee who didn't treat every Customer with Respect, Dignity and complete Professionalism... they're in the wrong line of Work if they can't handle it and personalize a problem a Customer is having.  There is a Right way and a Wrong way to interact with a Client who is already experiencing difficulties with your Company, for whatever reason.  Really bad PR to escalate Situations when it's completely unnecessary.  Even if someone cannot be Helpful, if they've remained Polite, Respectful, Professional and even Apologetic for a Bad Experience you're having, it goes a long way.

I don't think anyone Enjoys having to Deal with a Situation and not being able to have it successfully Resolved.   I know I sure don't, it's more Stress and who Needs that when Life can be complicated enough even without it!?   I await the return Calls from Cox Execs to sort this Administrative Error of theirs out successfully and Credit me for the Modem they already have in their possession... since early JUNE when we returned it to them after The Young Prince moved out!   Seems that Customer 'Service' has really fallen by the wayside for many Companies anymore tho', guess they Imagine they don't NEED your Business, I dunno?  People can take their Business elsewhere, my Money spends at a lot of Competitors just as well... it's The American Way!  *Winks*

I did so Enjoy having the Joy of Venting about my displeasure with Cox to their Collection Agency tho'!  *Winks*   I kept The Young Lady on the line way longer that she was clearly comfortable with.  *Winks*  I sipped my Coffee and regaled her with a protracted Story of Cox's incompetence at keeping Track of their Modems after they've been turned in... on her 'Recorded' Line.   And of how often I've been told one conflicting Story after another since June about said Modem.  Which they initially claimed they couldn't locate and wasn't turned in... then located and claimed was just turned in late by their Representative... then clearly Lost again and cannot locate and now have no Record of {?}... ad nauseum now into September!  I started at the Beginning and Ended at the End... then told her I had no more to say until one of the Execs gave me the Courtesy of the return Call I've requested numerous times... to speak to someone with Authority in their Chain of Command to FINALLY clear their Mistake up and be Done with this harassment!

Anyway, it does give one good Blog Fodder to have Positive things... or Negative things... to Post about... and such is Life!   A complex mix of The Good... The Bad... The Ugly... The Beautiful!   And in my little slice of Cyberspace here I can combine it all... as often... or as seldom... as I feel so inclined.   Lately I've been inclined to be on The Blogging Bender, but that could pass and I could become MIA for a while too... depending upon how the Mood strikes me... or the Words come or don't come easily.   I'm rather Glad that I'm not a Professional Writer, that would be so much Pressure to Perform I think.  But I am Grateful to those who are and whose Words have been a Delight to Read.   May the Art of the Written Word never truly cease to exist... in one form or another... as Time marches on... and it morphs and evolves into forms people will still Read.

*******

Blessings, Love, Light, Images and Words... from the Arizona Desert... Dawn... The Bohemian