Last Days

   I am in the last days of my "career". I can scarcely believe that I have exactly 1 work week left. This is my last Sunday night before the work week begins. Tomorrow will be my last "Monday Morning".

42 years- if you count when I started working part time at Mr. B's IGA as my first job. 

   Before that I cleaned houses and babysat for extra money. I learned to dry dishes at 2, or so my Mama told me. I know I helped in the kitchen from an early age, that's for sure. I remember learning how to iron, starting with pillowcases and hankies, at 7. Yes, for those of you younger than 50, we did use to have to iron things like pillowcases and hankies. Don't know what a hanky is? Look for them at estate sales, rummage and garage sales and second hand stores. Little squares of very soft fabric, usually linen or cotton. Usually printed or embroidered. I don't use them for my nose, except in an emergency: but I do use them for 

1. drying my eyeglasses after I wash them (about 5 times a day--they never scratch the lenses) and
2.  dabbing at tears

    Anyway, I digress. Alot has changed since I started working at the tender age of 15. For example, now instead of manually pressing buttons on a cash register to input the price of an item, it just slides over a scanner and automatically prints the price on your receipt, and tracks the sale in the store's computerized inventory database.

    At my first job we were required to "make change" and then "count back the change".  The point of counting back change was to ensure both for your customer and your store that you had made change correctly and thus not subjected yourself to the wrath of your customer, nor your manager, should you, god forbid, short the till.  In fact at my first job, the cash register (no it wasn't a hand crank, just a glorified adding machine) did have an "Amount Tendered" button, but I was required to count back the change regardless. Because as the manager pointed out, if I made a mistake entering the amount tendered I would give back the wrong amount of change.

    Anyway, counting back change is apparently a long lost art. Most cashiers nowadays enter the amount "tendered" (an old fashioned term for the amount of money taken in) and let the computer tell them how much change to give back. The concept of counting it back up to the amount tendered is no longer required.  

    Apparently saying "thank you" to your customer is no longer a requirement at most places.  Except at places like Jiffy Lube, where they still say "thank you" and "please" and chat up the customers. Especially if you show up in a completely original, clean, straight old 1997 M-3. The guys will be giving you instructions and discussing the beauty of your car at the same time in the same breath.

And they say thank you after they are done giving you free top-off of your power steering fluid.

    At most retail stores you are lucky to get a smile after you tell the clerk thank you. The clerks hardly ever say thank you. Sometimes they say "Have a nice day". Usually, depending on the age of the cashier, I have found they say "No problem" when I say thank you.  I gave them money, I find it rather irritating that they say "No problem" as if they went to all that trouble to take my money and frown at me. Sheesh. Customer service is gone the way of the dinosaur at many retail establishments.

   Oh and chatting up the customers. Most places frown on the clerks chatting up the customers. At the cafe in my workplace there is a wonderful woman who treats her customers like human beings and actually talks to us, and knows our favorite orders, etc. She is a doll and she gets in trouble for being "too helpful" and holding up the line. Oh my god, she actually talks to us and gets reprimanded for it. 

   If management can no longer see the value of the human factor then we might as well all go home and order off the internet. Whatever we need to order. Having said all this, I now make it a point to patronize locally owned businesses, where they still say please and thank you and treat their customers as "valued" customers, not people for whom they are doing a thankless favor. Civility doesn't have to be dead, but it sure could use some CPR.

Little plans

If all goes well, and I think it might, my last day of work in my so-called "career" will be June 20th, 2013.

I applied for an early retirement incentive program through my work.  I am eligible to collect a slightly reduced pension one year earlier, and they will pay me a lump sum equal to 12 months of my medical insurance premiums at my current level of coverage. Not a huge amount, but decent.
So I put in for it. I work for a large employer, so all of this depends on the budget people. They want the cost of the early retirement incentive to not overrun the benefits they anticipate. "They" being the highest management who make the final decisions on the budget for the next fiscal year. In any case, I will find out by May 31 what the decision is. If I don't get the early retirement package, I will only have one more year to work anyway. I will be sad.  And why? Not because it will dash big plans. But I will have to put my little plans on hold.

I have little plans for my retirement.  As opposed to big ones. I just want to enjoy my life without duress, and stop and smell the roses, so to speak. This comment is a cliche, but it is exactly correct at describing how I feel at this exact moment. I want to smell the roses, go for walks, take better care of myself, eat healthier, enjoy our boat, go camping, knit more, sew more, read more.  Make soup and homemade bread, perhaps grow some basil. I don't have huge plans for travel, other than to camp at Crater Lake this year. Besides that? I will will hang out at home.

I plan to not get up to an alarm unless I have a doctor's appointment or something. I plan to make, create, do, say what I want, when I want. I really am looking forward to puttering. Getting my house in order, getting my yarn organized, second-handing and garage saling, sewing, crafting, playing.

I will possess freedom of thought, freedom of expression. Freedom to do nothing or say nothing without being accused of being moody or lazy.

Time to think. To be mindful. To breathe. To enjoy this moment without already moving in my head to the next, constantly running down my list of priorities I have to get done before I am can move on to the next thing or get to go home.
Whatever happens, it will be right. I will make it be so.

     Seriously overdue for an update, I think. Lots to think about, and lots to get done this year. This will be my last planned full year of work, I think. I plan on retiring on my birthday in 2014. So that's not too far off. I am terrified of course that things will go out of control and I won't be able to retire and do something else, but let's not worry about that just now.

     I have been taking stock of my highlights of 2012. I don't have a great deal to say. Much of 2012 was taken up with my darling daughter living here and her 2 kids here alot. That pretty much blocks everything else. We had a few spectacular camping trips including with both kids and grandkids over the 4th at Suttle Lake.

     I completed one grand sewing project in 2 days. This wonderful duvet cover-plaid on one side and gold on the other. It turned out quite well.

     I completed a few knitting projects. Socks in January for Gary which he wore out immediately and pronounced that he would stick with Smart Wool. I am a failure at knitting for him so far. I also knitted a 10-pair mitt commission for Mary as well as 3 bearded hats for Terry's girlfriends great-nephews. They were a hit for Christmas day, I hear. See my Ravelry projects page for photos of them. I also completed a basic raglan cardigan with stripes that needs something. Like a belt and buttons. I have to work on this more. There is no shaping so it's not terribly attractive- looks like a box. Needs a black skirt to go with.
I also made a slouchy beanie for Lavoris's daughter on commission and I made a Twirly Skirt for Trin for Christmas, which she liked but won't wear without a pink Tshirt, she announced. So now that is on my list of things to do. Meantime I have a rash of birthdays coming which require knitted presents. Brian in January, Riley in February, Trin in March, Liam in April.And I can't remember when Lily's is.
     Thankfully Joann's Fabrics is having a yarn blow out. Although I was there last week and they were well picked over, it's worth going back and looking at the yarns that are now 50 % off (and I have a coupon for an additional 25% off the total purchase).

     I didn't get one thing produced for the Ravhellenic games which were renamed after Ravelry was sent a threatening letter from the US Olympic Committee chastising them for using the Olympics word without permission. Ridiculous. But apparently the word "olympic" is owned exclusively by the IOC. But I got a lot of knitting done. So if I would just redirect my knitting at that time, I should be good. Next time they occur, though, I will be participating and completing something for goodness sake. I have also lost touch with my Ravelry pals in my Oddballs group. Since November! What craziness.

     I did acquire some new guilty pleasures (addictions) this last year. I am addicted to Words With Friends on Facebook. Play at least a little every day with Erin, Stacy and Steve.
I have become completely addicted to Downtown Abbey. I haven't even ever seen the first season, but I have watched all the 2nd season and I am excited to to see #3 which starts tonight I think...

     Bad habits I worked on in 2012: I gave up eating ice cream every night and Greek yogurt every morning. Now I only allow one OR the other, and sometimes try to skip the yogurt. It is THAT good, especially this: Zoi Honey Greek Yogurt
I have also made an attempt to cut back on the amount of sugar I use in my beverages. I think sugar is like any other addiction, you need more and more of it to produce the same effect. I was putting 3 and 4 teaspoons of sugar in a big mug of coffee or tea. I have cut back to the "normal" 2.  Otherwise I don't think I accomplished much of my previous New Years resolutions.

Resolutions for 2013: 

1. Write in my journal daily
2. Knit 3 sweaters for myself this year
3. Make an art project a month
4. Complete a sewing project a month
5. Exercise 5 days a week
6. Join a knitting group
7. Take a class each quarter on a topic of interest: fitness, art, sewing or even for-credit course
8. I resolve to NOT take on any more knitting commissions until I retire, and if I do, to charge the going rate, which is 2 x the cost of materials (as opposed to figuring an hourly rate). I simply have to get the guts to charge for my time. I have found that knitting by commission in my limited knitting time turns it into a chore. I am not so much a process knitter as a product knitter and I get cranky when I have to do them under a deadline, etc. Takes the fun out!
9. Hmmm now that I think of it, I should probably bother to "monetize" my Google blog. 
10. Read a book a month. That is the hardest, because I cannot read and knit at the same time. I am going to have to substitute books on tape for part of this. Some people claim this isn't the same. Maybe it isn't but its a good way to absorb the books while doing something with your hands that you love.

Wow. Ambitious list. So we are almost one week into the New Year. Let's see how I am doing so far? Considering I have been sick since Thursday, not too terrible.

1. Journaling. I have failed completely to do this.  But starting today, I won't be skipping anymore- so no points. However, I have decided that blog entries count for journal entries too, so this gets 1 pt.

2. I have begun a top-down sweater, Wendy Bernard's pattern  from Custom Knits
My Ingenue . I'm about 1/4 done. The collar is finished and I am almost done with the increases. I guess separating the sleeves is next. So that's 1 point.
3. Make an art project? I still have 3 weeks to get on this. I did get books about painting to get my mind thinking about it again. So I give myself 1/2 a point for at least planning. I still have 3 weeks to finish this goal on time.
4. Sewing. I have 2 projects that are half finished and several projects to alter/convert to something else. What I want, of course, is fabric to make new stuff! To that goal, I have downloaded Joann's electronic coupon for 25% off the entire purchase. So that's 1/2 point.
5. Exercise 5 days a week. I have not achieved this. I have exercised 1 time this week while sick. So I give myself 1 pt for that, knowing I should have 5 for the week.
6. Join a knitting group. I still need to work on this one, Technically, I have all year to get this started. I just have a huge social anxiety around this, I don't know why.
7. Take a class...I have not registered for any classes yet. i want to start with sewing classes. There is an open sewing space that you can join for free, somewhere in Portland, I shall have to research this again. There is always Monticello Sewing Center for classes too...Kind of spendy but probably worth it. No points yet. Or I will register for a low cost non-credit course at PCC for the spring semester.

Well there you have it. I had more resolutions but threw them out, because they are totally not achievable, and I have so thoroughly blocked them I can't even remember what they were. ;p  My 7 above are totally achievable. Now I just need to get on them.
So many projects, so little time.