This Blog is Stale

 The great thing about my new glasses is that I can finally work on my laptop, because I can actually see it now!  This means I’ll now be blogging from my laptop instead of my phone. This also means that I might want to delete the old blog, as I started it about 3 years ago when life was extremely different. 

I’ve been blogging since 2005, and every couple years I always felt the need to delete the old blog and start a new one. So the other blog I started on my other Google account is Danielle’s daily notes. Danielle is my real first name. Akasha is a pseudonym I made up. I knew a woman once who had a different name but “preferred to be called Akasha”.  I lost contact with her, so stole the idea for myself. I don’t have a middle name other than my maiden name, so I feel like I’m allowed to do that. My name on this account is actually Daniiiakasha. I also knew another woman once named Danielle (NOT the one who “preferred to be called Akasha”) who liked to spell Dani with “three i’s”.  So I stole that idea too. 

The other Google account I started to put notes for the book I’m writing on “Danielle’s Daily Notes.”  This was almost two years ago. I deleted those posts as I wrote the book in an actual Google document in July of 2023. 

Also on my laptop, for whatever reason, it’s going to allow me to comment on other people’s blogs!!!  I’m excited about that!  I like the community on here. And I know I don’t really get that community unless I give comments. Maybe the reason my laptop lets me is because it doesn’t know about my two Google accounts, including the Daniiiakasha one. Are you only “allowed” to have one?  I’m not sure how I ended up with two. So if I’m not Google can feel free to abolish Daniiiakasha. 

I also worked more on my Child Advocacy blog on Wordpress, which also talks about my past career working with kids. Daily notes and daily life is different though- a separate space is needed to vomit thoughts on the regular. I’m also working on my book The Child Advocate.  I compiled all scratchy notes in to the main document a few days ago, and then copy pasted everything into wordcounter.net.  It states I have 21,713 words!  A standard novel is 50,000-100,000 words.  

Kevin and I just got home from a business trip to the absolute dead ass middle of Texas. It’s very remote out there. I checked in on Facebook and said, “If I owned the Texas shaped cutting board, then this is the town in which I would do most of my chopping.”  I don’t own a Texas shaped cutting board- I think it’s very impractical. I have one in the shape of Kansas. 

We got home last night, and I know today is also 25 cent day at Family Thrift.  But Kevin and I are too busy grocery shopping, doing laundry, and cuddling our two cats who missed us. Their grandma took good care of them, though. She always does. 

Kickboxing Class 🥊

 I always admired kickboxing. I think it just looks cool, and it looks therapeutic as well. I googled kickboxing class last week, and this morning, I attended a free class at the Rockbox Gym in Cyfair. 

It was free, but they made me purchase these knuckle protectors for $15. I also put on regular boxing gloves over these, but those weren’t mine to keep. 

I was ten minutes early since it was my first time.  An instructor showed me the basic moves. Then more people showed up for the class. Once class got started, it was very hard to keep up. The others in the class are way ahead of me in this area. However, if I couldn’t keep up with exactly what moves to do, I just randomly punched and kicked. 

At the end of the class, I told them it wasn’t for me. They insisted that I did really well!  (Haha, I didn’t, they just wanted me to sign up for more classes).  But now that I am going about my day more, I feel really good!  I think it actually is for me, but the pace was too fast for me being my very first time. It’s both physically and mentally therapeutic to do this. The Rockbox Gym doesn’t have beginner classes, it’s all the same there. I’m thinking about looking around for other places that might have this at a more beginner pace. Either that, or a gym with punching bags that I can just go do whatever.  

When I got home, Kevin told me I was really brave for trying that. I love that he encourages me so much. 

Thrift Store 25 Cent Day

 So I think I finally figured out how this thrift store works.  It’s called “Family Thrift”, and it’s a chain with many locations around Houston (and probably other cities, idk)  The location I frequent is the outlet. All other Family Thrift locations are expensive.  I know because I’ve tried some of them out.  This one is priced based on what day it is with Wednesday being 25 cent day and Thursday being the most expensive at $2.25 per item, and the weekends are $1.75 and $1.50 days.  On Wednesdays, they are only open at 7:30-11:30 am.  Then after they close, they throw everything away and get their entirely new shipment of items from all the other Family Thrift centers.  So when I get stuff on 25 cent day, I’m literally saving it from the landfill, because that’s the next step.  

Today was interesting!  I got 27 items for a total of $6.75 plus tax.  I got in line behind two ladies fighting over who was next in line.  I started videoing them, because I thought they’d start throwing hands.  They didn’t.  

Most of what I got was jeans.  But I got this thing.  What is it?  A tutu?  I took it to my mom’s house and cut all the tulle pieces off and saved the row of knots to play with my cats with.  Some of the tulle pieces had flowers.  The ones that didn’t are perfect square pieces.  They’re all bagged up now in a Walmart bag to go in the fabric stash.  

I came to my mom’s house so I could put her trash out.  The big can is too much for her to handle.  I went to the laundromat beforehand in order to wash and dry the three finished quilts.  I also washed two loads of our own day to day stuff.  There was only one other couple in there, so lots of dryers available.  After I’m done at my mom’s house, the next stop today is Walmart for dishes sponges and deodorant. 

Denim Chenille Quilts- Even Corners

These are two more quilts I put together with the squares I already had on hand, for more practice. They haven’t been to the laundry yet to create the chenille effect on the denim side.  I’m taking these two pictures below, along with the rainbow one, at the same time to a laundromat so that all the initial fuzz doesn’t clog my dryer. (That was the plan). Kevin wants the black one, and I’m giving my mom the blue and white one. I’m actually going to ship my mom hers- that way, I will have practice shipping these. I have no idea what it’s like to ship these. Plus I don’t really like the blue one. If it gets lost, that’s fine. I think my corners look super even, but the edges captured whatever unevenness there was. I think the chenille fuzz effect will hide that better. Hopefully the next time I feel like doing these, they’ll be good enough to put in an Etsy shop. That’s my goal!  Also pictured is Kevin wearing a bracelet I made. He hasn’t taken it off other than to shower. I’m glad it’s sturdy. 

 

Garage sale finds

Went garage sailing before I picked up Evita this morning. I got this Easter wreath and Easter cone for $1 each. That is way worth it just for those eggs, because wreaths with those eggs are expensive as hell. I started taking the eggs off of the cone before I realized, oh snap, better take a pic for my blog. I like the mossy frame of the egg shaped wreath, but didn’t like the center arrangement. So I took it off and put them aside with the cone eggs, into a gallon size ziplock for later wreath making. I’m going to do something else with the mossy egg frame, not sure what yet. 

 

Bread

 One came out nice, one not so much. It’s a work in progress. 🍞 

Happy Grandparents Day

Happy Grandparents Day to all the grandparents. Here’s a picture of my mom giving Evita her old typewriter back in 2020. 

Below are some pics of me and my maternal grandmother. She was born 2 days after Christmas in 1905 and passed away a month before I turned 14 in 1992. She was very quiet and demure.  She was born and raised in Greece, in the island of Zakynthos. She got married when she was 19 and came to America through Ellis Island one year later with my grandfather. Then she had 7 daughters!  

I don’t have pictures of my paternal grandmother. She was very abusive to my father, uncles, and even me. Both of my grandfathers died before I was born. I was always told that my paternal grandfather was “about 50” when he died. Then, on ancestry I discovered his death record. He was actually only 45 when he died. It also said he died from being poisoned. I’m never going to bring that up to my uncles, ever. I believe the death records on ancestry are correct. My dad was only 14 when he lost him- and the death record had the correct year for my dad to have been 14 years old. My dad remembered out loud one time that he had severe stomach pain and seizures.  Sounds like poisoning, no?  

My maternal grandfather was an immigrant and a grocery store owner. A lot of people say I’m a lot like him. He had “wanderlust”, and I do as well. The apple doesn’t fall too far from the tree, even if the apple never met the tree. 

 

Doctor Visit!

 I went a couple days ago to finally get established with a new primary care physician after my old one quit, and I didn’t like the new one they put me with. 

This guy is really cool, and he’s in “Cy-Fair” which is only 25 to 30 miles away. First I told him why I wanted a new doctor. (Because Dr Lee quit and I didn’t like the next one), and then I told him that one of my biggest anxiety triggers is cancer- and that being middle aged now, I’m trying extremely hard to get all of my routine cancer screenings done. It’s a long story!  He asked if cancer ran in my family. I said, it never did until recently. Then I lost two cousins in two years. He immediately said he was sorry, and I briefly explained that Kathy had colon cancer and was too afraid of doctors to always go for routine screenings (I’m trying NOT to be like that, although I’m realizing more and more that I kind of am).  And that Sam had a brain tumor, but he had been stationed at Camp LeJune when he was a teenager. I said, “A bunch of those guys got different forms of cancer.”  The doc nodded in agreement and said, “Oh man, oh man.”  

What I did NOT mention was that a few weeks ago, I wrote down names of all the people in my life I’ve lost to cancer, and it totaled 33 people. This ranged all the way from a classmate in 2nd grade with childhood leukemia, my godmother when I was 12, friends (close and not close), colleagues, friends of parents and parents of friends. 

Another reason to fear cancer might have to do with the fact that for the first time in about a decade, I’m in a really good and happy place in life. I always worried that if I found too much happiness, I’d be punished for it by dying prematurely. This is an anxiety symptom. I’m trying not to think that way, but it comes up. Then I have to put it out of my head, like an intrusive thought. 

This doctor also “seems” like he doesn’t have a problem with me taking gabapentin for anxiety. For some reason, he thought I was taking Wellbutrin. Maybe the bitchy doctor wanted me to take it, but the pharmacy never filled it, and I already know it does nothing for me anyway. I explained that in ten years’ time, I had psychiatrists try everything for me, and gabapentin is what works. He said ok- I thought maybe he cringed, but maybe the cringe was all in my head. At least he didn’t object in an obvious manner. We made two appointments for routine cancer screenings, and I was on my way. The appointments are on 10/1 and 10/21. I really don’t want to think about all of this until then. 

Vision and Dental 🦷 🤓

 I have vision and dental insurance now, through work. I have almost never had these. I have always had health insurance, but not V&D. Last couple times I went to the eye doctor or dentist, I paid out of pocket. 

Yesterday I went for an eye exam. I can’t remember how much I paid out of pocket for the exam last year. But this time, it was a $10 copay. I “think” it was $54 last year. I’m not sure. I might be thinking about an oil change. It was in that ballpark. 

Then today I shopped at the optical for new glasses. I just wanted whatever was covered. My current ones are bent, and I have to squint.  

She came up with a total that was several hundred dollars, and explained that my insurance saved me $130. Then she ran the total with all cheaper options, and I got a free pair. I only had to pay $25 for the warranty. 

While checking out and paying the $25, I asked her how much would the glasses I got be if I paid out of pocket.  She said, $132. So basically, all the insurance covers is $130-ish. 

I did the basic math in my head. The vision insurance I have only pays for this once every two years- NOT annually. It also takes $7 out of my paycheck. There are 52 paychecks in two years. That’s a total of $364. And I basically only save $170-ish with the $130 glasses coverage and the $40 I save on the eye exam. Sounds like a rip off. 

I explained this to Kevin, and he said, “But it’s still insurance.”

The “it’s still insurance” thing only would apply if it covered emergencies. But what kind of vision emergency would there be?  I can’t think of one. If my glasses broke, I’d use the warranty that I paid for. If someone pokes your eye out, that’s a medical emergency and you use your health insurance. 

And these glasses are the lowest of low quality. The only benefit is that I finally got clear frames instead of black, and I got a better prescription. I can go back in a month or two and pay out of pocket for a nicer pair. I just feel kind of ripped off, and don’t plan on renewing this coverage next year. 

Another Memory

 Another memory grazed my mind today. My daughter was born with a deformity on her ear. They told me it might mean she was deaf. The next day, they gave her a newborn hearing screen, which proved she wasn’t deaf. But I always wondered, what if they were wrong?  

Then when she was about six months old, she was sitting up with one of those plastic toys that’s a cone with rings over it. I walked up behind her and clapped my hands. I could see her clearly get startled. She started crying loudly. Oh no!  I picked her up and bounced her around and kept apologizing. “I’m sorry, Baby!” I kept saying. “Mommy knows now that you aren’t deaf!”  😩 

Memory

 Today, I was remembering my Uncle Chris. He was married to my mom’s sister and was from the island of Cypress. He owned a restaurant and was an amazing cook. One time when I was about 15, he said he heard I was learning to cook. He wanted to know how I liked cooking. I said I liked it a lot, but I didn’t like cooking meat. He responded, “That’s ok! You can marry vegetarian!”  

Immediately, everyone else in the room reprimanded him for suggesting I ever get married.  “She doesn’t need to get married at all!” They all seemed to yell. It was very loud and dramatic. 

Well I wish I could tell Uncle Chris-

Guess what. I did end up with a vegetarian. He was right. And I still do like not having to cook meat. 

Mormon Thrift Store

I went shopping today at Deseret, which is a thrift store run by the Mormon church. I got Evita a blank mounted canvas, an angel for the Christmas tree, a calf length yellow t shirt dress/nightgown, leggings, and more black pants for work. 

I did find a Shantung formal dress in size 24 that looked like a bridesmaids dress. The lace top was stained all over the neckline and shoulders. It looked like someone took the punch bowl and dumped it over this bridesmaid’s head. The dress was priced at $6. I wondered excitedly if the shantung was silk- the skirt was not stained so all that silk shantung for $6 would have been a steal. But it wasn’t - it was polyester. I didn’t get it. I thought afterwards that I could have made a nice skirt out of the polyester shantung but oh well- I’m not going back. 

 

Bobbin Winding

So I finished sewing and clipping the rainbow denim chenille quilt. These pics were obviously taken before I put the two halves together and finished the edges. The next step is to wash and dry it so that it gets the fuzzy chenille look on the denim side. 

I’m very proud of how even my corners are. The next one is going to be black, with black denim on the back and an alternate of black prints on the front. Like I said, my goal is to have an Etsy shop with these. I’m a person who learns by doing. So I’m not sure yet if these are learning pieces or if I will sell these or give them as Xmas gifts. 

With the black one,

I’m going to do twice the seam allowance I did on the rainbow one. The rainbow had half an inch seam allowance all the way around. The black one will have one inch of seam allowance. This will allow more room for error and cause more of a chenille effect. 

The first thing I had to do this morning after breakfast was to fill my bobbins with the good quality gray thread I got BOGO at Joann’s a couple month ago. As soon as I finished the edges on the rainbow last night, I realized all my bobbins were empty. 

I have talked here about a sewing stint I had when I was about 19 years old. At that time, my mom was letting me use her sewing machine. I remember her telling me to let her know when the bobbin ran out of thread, and I didn’t know what a bobbin was. She got angry and demanded to know how I thought I was going to sew if I didn’t even know what a bobbin was. She briefly explained it to me with attitude. There was no Google or YouTube back then so I had to figure it out. I look back on that now, and I wonder why she couldn’t just explain what a bobbin was and how to fill it. Literally, it’s just the bottom thread. It’s a few steps. Back then I wouldn’t have been able to ask her to just explain it to me instead of acting like I was dumb because I didn’t know what it was. If I did, she would have just said that when I was a mother I would understand. Well now I am a mother.  So I guess it’s ok for me to still ask that. 

I wound six bobbins this morning, put five in this thing and one in the machine. I love watching them wind. It’s just so satisfying. Do you know what else is satisfying?  Knowing that I’m capable of doing things and not hanging onto this idea of me that my mother and her sisters had.