Staying Connected Within The Blog Community

 

With having a Sick Kiddo at Home on Friday I could Sleep In longer... and... I did.   Well, for me it was late to get to Sleep In until 9:00 in the Morning anyway.  The Adult Kids get up on their own and they go to Work way earlier anyway, so they're long gone before 6:00 a.m. usually when the Grandchild has to usually get up for School.   When I Work, it's a Night Shift, I don't think I could or would work a Day Shift anymore.  Most of my Corporate Lives were Night Shift Work so I usually had my Days Free unless I was pulling a tonnage of Overtime, which, was more common in Banking than at the D.A.'s Office.  Not that there was less Crime than Money, or less Work, they just didn't expect Overtime to get it done.

I guess when the Taxpayers are your funded Salary, no matter how much Work there is to do, you're not getting Paid more to do it.  And, since the pay was SOOOOO much lower than the Civilian Sector, which is where I made the Big Bucks, well, they were just getting my Eight Hours out of me no matter how backlogged they were there.  And, Trust and Believe there was a ridiculous backlog my whole Career there.  You would never get caught up in Two Lifetimes of working any amount of Hours in a County as large as Maricopa County is.  *LOL and Le Sigh*   You get what you Pay for when it comes to shit like that IMO... and all the Money in Criminal Law is in the Defense of Criminals/Defendants, not the Prosecution of them.  Hard Cold Fact.

Anyway, not my Issue anymore, don't miss any of my Corporate Lives, even tho' I did very well with both of them.   At the DA's Office I always counted in the good Benefits as part of my Salary, you see.  Since, at the time, The Man's Medical Bills were about a Million a Year and it all got Paid by my Insurance back then, not his.   The Military Insurances were not as adequate as the County's were so I always got his Care under mine so he'd get the best Care.   I also paid a shitload Out of Pocket over the Years for whatever Insurance would not cover for his Medical needs.   So, it was good when I also had a Big Salary and Investments to tap into when needed.  Money Buys Options, always. Remember that if you don't already know, you can Thank me later.  *Winks*

I like Options, don't you?  *LOL*   And, I've been Rich and I've been Poor, Rich is Better.  *Bwahahaha*   All of the Imagery for this Post is still from the Event and the Eastside Antique Mall combo Adventure we had on Thursday Morning.  Getting in a bit of Retail Therapy was enjoyable, even tho' my Haul was small.   I don't NEED anything else in this Lifetime in actuality... and the Five Plus To One Rule is still firmly in effect with the Downsizing Strategy.   So, for every One item brought in, a minimum of Five or more must go out each and every time and I'm really Religious about that accountability.  So, I can still meet my Goal and yet not have to cease and desist from Collecting entirely.  I just have to be way more Editorial and Curated about it now.

Friday Afternoon The Man and I did go into the Old Showroom and take out the last of the large Display Shelves to bring Home.  It was a Vintage Industrial Shelf that I like, but didn't have room for in the New Showroom.  I had only put it up For Sale due to not wanting to transport it back Home, I still liked it a lot and had use for it here.  But, as it turned out, it didn't Sell and it transported just fine, so, I'm glad nobody bought it.   Nice Industrial Vintage Furnishings are harder and harder to come by and at a decent price point.  Now that Industrial Style has Trended, what used to be had cheaply now commands respectable prices at Resale of it.  I like both the Style and the durability of Industrial or Vintage Commercial pieces. 

They're practically indestructible and that's important for Retail Displays.  You have no idea what Customers have done to destroy even a good Display by mistreating or manhandling it!   I had a Metal rolling Clothing Rack, it was Modern tho', so not as sturdy as the Vintage pieces are.  Well, some Customer or their Kids must have hung on it like fucking Feral Monkeys coz they completely collapsed it!!!   I'd had it for Years at Home and it wasn't flimsy, so, if treated respectfully it should have held up.  But, some Shoppers act like they have lost their fucking Minds and many of them have Feral Kids.  Hardly anything except Vintage Industrial pieces can hold up to that type of abuse or misuse.

Anyway, we also brought Three Milk Crates filled with Merch from the Old Showroom back Home that had been on that Shelving Unit.  I just didn't want it all sitting on the Floor and didn't have Space for it right now in the New Showroom.  We did move over some Merch to the new Space tho' and the Locked Case too.  And we Re-Styled the Old Showroom for the Weekend, since, Sales are still Strong for what's left in there and I'd rather Sell as much of it as I can before Vacating.  I'm still Surprised that some Merch that had languished in the Old Space for too long Sells immediately in the New Space, often within a Day!!!  Especially the higher Dollar items, are Selling better in the New Space.

They'd asked me to work this Saturday Night to fill in again for Submarine Lady, but I declined this time.  I've filled in for her for a Month of Saturdays already and it's burning me out to Work both Days of my Weekends.  Sunday Night is my regular Shift but I don't wanna really Work both Days that my Grandchild is out of School.  Those are when I can do things with Family and nobody is Working or has School on a Saturday, so, I want to not work every Saturday Night covering for someone who isn't committing to their own Shift and being reliable.  They really need to replace her with someone who will be there and wants a Saturday Night Shift.  It seems they never know until the last Minute that she won't show up coz it's short notice when they ask a Replacement to fill in for her.

I'm not Cancelling my Weekend Plans on the Regular for someone whose just not reliable to show up for their Shifts and don't give adequate Notice or consideration for others.   I will accommodate every once in a while to fill in for someone, like if they're out Sick infrequently or are going on Vacation, that makes sense.  But, not just the ones who don't show up, don't give adequate Notice and consideration for their Coworkers or Management, forget about it, they should lose their Shift permanently IMO and be replaced with someone up to the Job.  Of coarse the Work Ethic of some of the folks leads a lot to be desired even when they do show up, or, they're just difficult to Work with personality wise.   Submarine Lady is one of them, so, I'm positive some or most of her Co-Workers prefer the fill-ins.  *LOL*

 

My Lab results all came back good, no problems or anomalies.  I've been having Night Sweats even when the temperature inside is comfortable and I shouldn't be sweating.  I'd wanted to find out if that meant something was wrong?  I'm not a person who sweats profusely even when it's Hot outside, so it's unusual for me to even break a sweat, let alone have an episode of profuse sweating like I have been.  Literally when it happens, my clothes are soaked and I have to change clothing!  I thought perhaps it was the Diabetes, but when I take a Reading during a sweating episode, my Numbers are actually at Normal range of barely over 100 and stable, so, couldn't be that.  

 Anxiety and/or Low Blood Sugar can sometimes be the culprits, so, who knows, could be that?  *LOL*  I'm glad everything they ran Tests on came back just Fine tho', no problems detected.  My Thyroid is normal and I'm not on any Medications that cause that as a side effect.   I'm long past Menopause... but, it is similar to the Menopause sweating.  They had Tested for literally everything and anything that has the Symptoms, nothing came back abnormal tho', so, still a Mystery and something I just have to Deal with I guess.  I have more of a Peace about it not being anything I should be concerned about, just an inconvenience and uncomfortable when it's happening.

Anyway, I feel good most of the time so I'm not worried.   I talked to The Young Prince Today, they want me to pull some of my Specialty Tees out for them.  *LOL*   So, Hope I haven't already Sold them?  I've been profiling new Merch on my Social Media to promote the new venture of Garment Sales.  It's helped a lot to Advertise that way, it's been a while since I did a lot of self-promotion of my Space.  Seemed I was always Covering everyone else's Events, Businesses and such and neglecting my own.  Part of that is due to loss of Passion for the Space and Merch I had in the Old Showroom, it had waned in recent Years and I knew I had to do something different or just quit doing it at all.  If I'm not Passionate about what I'm doing, there's no Point in still doing it.

  

The Passion is now reignited and I feel good about what we're doing again.   After we Worked on the Spaces Today this was my Brunch, a Strawberry Fields Salad with Quinoa and a half Turkey & Brie Sammie.  It was a lot, I could only eat half the Salad and bring the rest Home for later.  My portion sizes have diminished considerably since being on GOLO, I am satiated sooner and don't need to eat as much, actually, I can't eat as much, too full.  I eat 'til full then stop, no exceptions.  I am having trouble eating Three times a day and as much Food with each Meal as the Plan suggests tho'.  When I don't feel hungry, I just don't want to eat at all.  And most of the time I'm not feeling hungry.  Or, when I do, I don't need to eat very much to feel full and satisfied.

This T-Shirt just got put into Inventory and The Young Prince wants me to pull it, so I will if it's still there Tomorrow.  You can't tell by this pix, but the background Color of the Shirt is a Pale Lavender Pink.  The Graphics are Whimsically Adorbs and The Grandson just Loves it, so, I don't mind giving it to them rather than Selling it.   The Young Prince is not a Wardrobe Fiend, in fact, like The Son, their Wardrobe is spartan and preferred to be that way.  So, it's rare to be asked to hold something back for them.    The Marilyn Monroe Tees below, The Daughter Loved but I'm Selling them, like me and Princess T, she has an abundance of Wardrobe already and needs to Cull what she already has.  I went thru mine again and am Selling Off quite a bit.   I find I wear my favorite things most often, so the rest is excess really, worn rarely.

Usually at the Chazzas I wait until Sale or Discount Days to Buy anything at all, so, I always get a Deal.   I also have Loyalty Rewards I use at the ones I frequent the most.  Which always gives me a minimum of 20% Off and as much as 30% Off sometimes, even when there's no Sale or Regular Discount Day going on.   When you see what Garments are Selling for at full Retail, I totally understand why Resale is the most Popular way that everyone is Buying their Wardrobe these days.  There was a Tee I wanted, but for Thirty Bucks, I didn't want it that bad to pay a Full Retail inflated Price like that for just a T-Shirt!!!   The Son has told me that Concert Tees now Sell for $30-$75 each and people willingly pay that, depending on the Artist/Band.   So, now wonder ours are flying off the Racks and we can hardly keep Pace.  *LOL*

I know when I was at the Far Eastside Antique Mall, their Demographic will pay upwards of $100 for a Vintage or Band T-Shirt!!!   And, Online, at Auction, those who Sell them are asking a lot plus Postage... so... our Shoppers are getting a good Deal and they know it and react accordingly.   And I'm having such Fun with this, since, I happen to Love Fashion and so does Princess T.   Tho' I do LOVE Old Stuff, it's just not Selling right now and I don't know that Antiques will have a resurrection or not, so, I can't just be a Purist and mess only with what's not in demand right now.   I will still Rescue and Salvage the Good Stuff, but, I won't concentrate so much on trying to find the Right Buyer for it either, if the Timing is Wrong right now.

It's never been all about the Money/Value for me anyway, Preservationists do what we do becoz we want the History not to be Forever Lost and we Appreciate what we Save.   I Collected Architectural Salvage back when nobody Valued it at all and thought I was a total Nut Job for Hoarding it.   I didn't Care, I had Outbuildings filled to the brim with it anyway and Rescued a shit ton of it that still exists to this day due to me Saving it from going Landfill bound or being just totally destroyed and Forever Lost.  I have never regret a Single Piece I Salvaged, not a single one.  Eventually people began recognizing the Value and History, and, I made a lot of Money off of what just was an Urge and Passion I Naturally had to Save it all.  But, that was never the catalyst or motive for doing it, I'd of done it if I never Sold or Profited off of any of it.

When I saw these Antique Easter Eggs recently, it reminded me of a Dear Blog Friend Richard, may he RIP.  One Year I Surprised him with a Gift of one and it really meant a lot to him, since he Collected them.   He was once profiled in a Popular Decor Magazine becoz he had the most Ahhhmazing Historic Home and impeccable Interior Decor, there in Missouri where he lived.   He sent me a Signed Copy of it, he and his Beloved little Dog, Sissy, had been on the Front Cover and I couldn't find a Copy here, so he Surprised me with it as a Gift.   Mebbe it's silly of me, but sometimes I still visit his Blog even tho' he's been gone since around Mid 2015.   We were fortunate that a Friend of his informed his Blog Community of his Passing, so that we had Closure and could Mourn the Loss.  Sometimes we lose Bloggers and never know why or how.

 

Some just choose to quit Blogging and never inform everyone, so you can't make assumptions that something terrible has happened.   You can form some close Bonds here in this Community tho' and everyone Gone from it is usually Missed.    And you do Wonder what happened when an Active Blogger suddenly falls off the Grid of the Blogasphere without any explanation.   If I have Contact beyond just the Blog, sometimes I can find out in other ways... but, sometimes you never do.   There are many Blogs I really do miss as much as I miss those who Created them.   Finding new Blogs is more difficult for me now than in the heyday of Blogging.  I suppose there are a tonnage of them out there to find, but, where to start?   And, I know I won't necessarily Connect to every Blog or Blogger I might Visit.

 

I do remember that there were more Blogs that covered things like Events and Shows across the Country.   I could vicariously come along to places that were on my Bucket List via the Blog Posts they Shared of actually going to those places, it was almost like being there.   Many of the Bloggers were Industry folks who had either Shops, Spaces at Antique Malls, or attended National Events across the Country.  It was like Episodes of "American Pickers", only you knew the people involved and got more Insider Information via their Blog Posts about what we all were Passionate about and involved in one way or another.   I just don't see those types of Blogs anymore, even tho' a lot of those Events and Shows still exist... perhaps some of the Shops too?   If the Interest is still there in Real Life, it's just not as evident on Blogs anymore.

I do Miss that and interacting with fellow Kindred Spirits who were Collectors and fellow Junquers.   In Real Life I know quite a few still, but, in the Land of Blog, hardly any anymore.    I have noticed a shift in the type of Post Topics that draw more interest than back then too.   And in what other Bloggers now Blog about predominantly.   I used to do more Blog Reading than I do now and perhaps other Bloggers do also?   I've never been an avid Reader, I like Writing more than Reading, but, I just devoted more Time to visiting Blogs than I currently do, becoz a lot of Blogs back then were heavy on the Visuals and I'm a very Visual Person.   If there are lots of interesting Photography that a Blog was heavy on, I was all over that on the Regular, it Inspired me.

Not that a really good Writer can't or won't Inspire me too, it can... but, the Visuals is what is a common Draw for me personally most of the time.   If I'm Reading a Blog heavy on the Written Word often, it's usually due to the Writer having a particular Gifting of telling their Story in a way that I can Connect or Relate to in some way.   I think part of all of that is due to having Adult ADHD, I have the Attention Span of a Small Child and I know it, so am Aware.   But, Aging hasn't improved upon the deficiency it creates in being able to Focus and keep my Attention held very long.   And, if my Attention isn't able to be held, my Mind just Wanders and I easily Zone Out or Shut Down.

Anyway, I've been trying to do better at Visiting other Blogs more often and staying Connected within the Blog Community... sometimes I even Succeed.  *Smiles*   I'm Thankful for those of you who do better at it than me and Reach Out often and Connect via your Visits and Comments.  Sometimes that's the Prompt I need to reciprocate and realize it's been a while since I initiated any reciprocity with anyone.  I do that a lot in Real Life too... sometimes I'm so in my own Bubble and Head Space that Time warps by and I don't even seem to realize I've been absent and MIA Socially and Relationally.   I do Admire folks who are able to stay Connected with just about everyone they know and make it seem easy or almost effortless for them... since, I find it to be a lot of Work for me to sustain and maintain.  So, it can be exhausting for me, even tho' I truly Like People.

I do know a lot of People, but choose not to spend a lot of Time with People, if that makes any Sense on a Social level at all?  *LOL*   Short amounts of Time with anyone is about all I can really handle without feeling quite overwhelmed and/or stifled and overly obligated to do or be more to them?   That includes Family BTW, who I'd do anything for and Adore, but they all know I need a certain amount of Apartness along with the Togetherness Factor, or the Balance is Off for me.  *Smiles*   If I tell someone I need to be left Alone and have some Solitary Time away from them, it's never Personal... so I always Hope they can manage not to Personalize it or feel it's anything they've said or done, it's not.   

The Man is more a True Recluse and is uncomfortable Socializing.  So, it's complimentary to his State of Being that tho' I know a lot of People and everyone seems to know me, I don't like to always be around People.   We do a lot of things with just the Two of us and we both enjoy that more.   Socializing to me could be a once or twice a Month Thing and brief encounters with lots of different People for short periods of Time with each.   Not any few People monopolizing Time or having expectations I'd be spending all day with them.  I probably couldn't even do it, I have trouble doing that with Family sometimes.  *LOL* 

 You can go somewhere WITH me and Wander Off and I'm perfectly Fine with that, as we each do our own thing and come back together just some of the time during an Outing.   It's preferable to me since I don't want to be your Entertainment Director and want each of us to have the Freedom to perhaps enjoy something about the Outing that isn't Identical and can be enjoyed Individually as well as Collectively.  If you were up my Ass the whole time and my Shadow, I probably would not Invite you again actually.  *LOL*   If I tell one of my Family or Long Time Friends that if feels like they're Stalking me, they know it means they have to disengage some, coz it's kinda Creeping me Out and too Clingy.  *LOL*  Yeah, I guess I got Issues.   But, don't we all?  *Winks*

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Just embrace and celebrate the Beautiful Messes that we all are... Dawn... The Bohemian