BulgingButtons

Not bad for a fat girl


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No More Cheap Puzzles for Me

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I like jigsaw puzzles.

I don’t do them all the time, but in the summer I often like to do a puzzle.

I prefer ones that feature a photo, rather than a painting. I don’t like teeny tiny pieces, and frankly I don’t like too many pieces either. Five hundred seems to be the right number for me.

I spend a couple of evenings on it, at the dining room table. There’s a certain satisfaction in snapping together the pieces after searching for them in the pile.

I also like that they make me slow down and notice details that I might not have otherwise.

I found a jigsaw puzzle at a massive discount store last week. It was on sale. It was a folk art painting of old time Boston. I liked it well enough (there were no photo puzzles available) so I bought it. I started it that evening and finished it the next day. I wanted more.

My travels took me to the dollar store for writing camp materials. While I was there I picked up another puzzle. This one featured a photo of a strawberry pie. The size of the pieces was good. It was only three hundred pieces, but hey, it was a dollar, so I bought it.

Well, it took three days, but I finished it. Here’s what I learned:

  1. the picture on the box had different coloration than the actual puzzle
  2. the cover of the box didn’t show the whole puzzle
  3. the pieces were printed on very thin cardboard
  4. many of the pieces fit in places where they don’t belong
  5. the whole thing was sort of warped and didn’t want to lay flat

Still, I finished it, and I’m satisfied with the result. Now I want to do another one, but I’m going to steer clear of the dollar store.


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First Day Jitters, Again

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It happens every time. Tomorrow I start writing camp with a new group of kids, and I’ve got the jitters.

I’m prepared. My day is all mapped out, my cart is full of the necessary supplies, and today I toured the site, so I would know just where to go and how to get there. Seriously, I’m ready.

I’ve reviewed the roster, sent out a welcome email, and planned activities that I think will be both fun and enriching for my young writers. I’m bringing my A game. So what’s the big deal?

The big deal is that every time I work with a new group of kids I get this way. I’m not afraid of them. I’m not afraid that I won’t know what to do with them. It isn’t fear at all. Anxiety is more like it. I suppose it’s more excitement than anything else.

I’m excited to get to know them. I’m excited to try out some new things. I’m excited to see what they can and will do. I’m excited for it all, and it all starts tomorrow.

I know it’s going to be great, now if I can just calm down enough to get a good night’s sleep I’ll be set.


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Just This One More Thing

So I have this thing I have to do. Yes, Have To. I made a commitment. It’s not a bad thing. In fact it’s a thing that helps me in the long run, but it takes work. Actual, no two ways about it, work. So naturally, I’m putting it off.images.jpg

You see, I don’t want to do the work. Why? I’m not sure. It’s not that I can’t. I’m able to do it. It’s just that I don’t want to.

Will I? Of course. Like I said, I made a commitment. I don’t take my commitments lightly. It will get done. And it will get done on time. But right now, I’d rather do something else. Anything else. Like, oh, I don’t know… blog maybe?

My plan was to get up this morning, drop my son off at work, and then GET. IT. DONE.

I got up, took him to work, and decided I needed breakfast. Well, don’t we all? Most important meal of the day, and all that jazz. So, I had breakfast. And while I ate, I checked my email. That makes sense, right? Multi-tasking to save time?

Well, my email reminded me that I had to provide some feedback to Amazon, so I took care of that (because without my feedback they might fold). Then I realized that I needed to send a welcome email to my summer writing group (or their parents, to be exact).

It took me a while to trudge through the task of setting up a group. Don’t laugh at me, but I find Google and their email and docs and such kind of awkward. I know, I’m the one who’s awkward, but I’m okay with that. Finally I got it sorted out, the email written, and sent.

Okay, so NOW I’m ready to do that thing. But shouldn’t I at least get a load of laundry started? Or unload the dishwasher? Nah, I have to do the thing. But wait! What a brilliant blog post idea. Me, procrastinating, again! My readers will LOVE it!

Insert eye roll here.

Okay, so maybe not the most brilliant topic, but, to quote lots of people, “It is what it is.” What does that even mean?

So now, at long last, I’m going to wrap up the blog post, and get started on my task. Oh wait, it’s time for lunch. Okay, right after lunch I’m starting! Really.