Confession Time

Still not sane.  Well, finally (somewhat) sane but not physically fit.  The SAT was March 12th.  I should be recovered.  I'm not.  Dunno what's going on, but I figured I'd just own up to a few things, all in the spirit of love ... or maybe excessive hormonal bitchiness ...

... there's a reason over-50-year-old women don't have kids.  The Big Lug and I were caretakers of our vivacious and fantastic 7-year-old granddaughter (Princess) for the last week.  While I adored having her here, and we not only had fun but rebonded big time, I haven't had a decent night's sleep in a week (the Mommy Radar is never lost) and I threw my back out three days before she arrived, so I ... well, I didn't give her nearly as many baths as I should have.  Shh, don't tell her mother ...

... I've found several very cool pieces but have been breaking even instead of wildly profiting.  Don't care.  I feel very well-decorated, and well-deserving of it ... and so I, uh, gave myself a bonus to salt the mines for the Spring Feeding Frenzy-to-come ... out of my kitchen fund ...

... the next Thrift Shop person who sees me take out my magnifying glass and snorts, "it's not gold; our people are excellent at catching marks," is going to get an earful of the things their "people" have missed - with pictures ... and commentary ...

... I don't want to learn more about sterling silver so I can write the blog on silver.  I don't want to learn anything right now.  I'd rather know everything ...

See you in another quantum week.

Moving Forward

Somehow the days got away from me. Last week I skipped because I was depressed without knowing why.  Then I remembered my mother died one year ago Saturday, and I understood, wallowed, and got better.  This week I'm just trying to keep my head above water with all the students and the new book and my HBP meds making me pretty groggy.  And since the Hunt is the only thing that's even remotely optional, that's what's gone away...for now.

I have another couple of weeks of this schedule.  And then (unless I find something in the street) I will write the post I intended to write in the first place, the one about this:

See you when my life is my own again!

Assets V. Obligations 2011

Last year, after my mother died, I went a little nuts.  Yes, I paid all non-mortgage debts, and yes, I still have almost all of what was left of the inherited money to buy back the Big Lug's military retirement as soon as we can.  But, honestly, instead of kicking up his 401K to the max (including catch-up since we hit 50 in 2009) I spent the raises and most of the natural excess, and not all of it on the house (which would have been an investment).  We travelled.  We bought silly things (two flat-screen TVs!).  And we ate out more than usual.

I felt remorse come Fall, which, of course, only proved the truth of what I call "The Bunny Paradox":  Guilt about Spending/Eating can only be cured by More Spending/Eating.  Illogical (check).  Self-defeating (check).  Annoying (check and check).  But clear and present for my entire life (sigh), and since everyone had a pretty good Christmas, what the hell, right?

My procrastination with the money-recap had more to do with an explosion of tutorial students (yay), the First Chapter brain fog (yay, huh?), and lingering anxiety after the wet snow left us without power (one day) and cable/internet (almost four days!) during the critical time (boo!!!).  But though I'm a bit over a week late, I was pleased with the results.

We are currently worth almost double last year's total.

I love this New Year!

Happy New Year!

I didn't do my assets vs. obligations this year on time (31 Jan) mostly because I had a chapter to write, the first chapter of the second book in the series written by me and my two partners and friends (and yes, we're still friends after working together for a year).  I also forgot (until today) that it's a brand-new year, as of Thursday, by the Chinese calendar.  According to this, it will be a year for focusing on family and home, of a drawing back of countries to lock down borders, and of more artistic pursuits and keeping the peace everywhere.

Suits me.  Fix up the house, spend more time with family, write with my partners on our series and by myself on my own projects, these were part of the plan even before I read the Zodiac characteristics.  Peace, diplomacy, a pullback to save sanity and energy after the fierce (and dangerous to people with head and neck issues) Year of the Tiger we just left is the name of the game.  And to commemorate this new year, I stopped at a little consignment shop I hardly ever go to and found this:

No, not a crystal ball, and not a great picture (one light, on the left, duh) but it's a 14K white gold ring, pearl, six diamonds, very pretty.  The tag said $69 but it went to half-price on New Year's Day (this New Year's Day), and waited for me to find it.

Because, you see, last year was the Tiger.  2011 is the Year of the Bunny.

The Golden Bunny.

This just keeps getting better and better, doesn't it?

A Really Good Day

I'd planned to post about sterling and various other silvers, complete with some great pictures of some great pieces I've found, but life intervened.  In a good way.  In a very good way.  The silver will have to wait.  For this:

Okay, technically, it's a "these" but still ...

Yesterday, Mama Angel gave me a big kick to leave early for a tutorial, hit a place south of the classroom, before going to my "real" job.  That was around 12:45.  I ate some toast.  I watched the rest of Being Human.  I combed my jewelry box for just the right earrings.  Then I left ... at 1:30.  When I got to the store I immediately zeroed in on a fantastic oak flatware box (for the Tiffany & Co Chrysanthemum silver I'm going to find someday), and then went to the jewelry.  As I was searching, I found ... very little.  Figures.  I've been finding a bit here (a 10K service pin for $1 at a yard sale Saturday) and there (10K earrings for $1 at a thrift shop three weeks ago) over the past two months, but mostly not too much.  And this was no different.  Truthfully, until a friend approached me and told me I'd just missed several 14K and 18K chains that a woman had simply snapped up ... within the last hour ... I didn't think anything of it.  But, of course, after that helpful information I obsessed.  And cursed myself for not listening to the interfering Feathered One.  (Hey, I can't tell the difference between "really, Honey" and "psyche!" lately, maybe because she seems to lead me into the latter so often ... for a lesson ... for my own good ...)

Anyway, today I finally gave up and just decided that with all the gold hunters around, possibly even educated by yours truly, the means were much more important than the ends so why obsess about a few chains?  And I also vowed to Listen next time, and to act on it.

So when I knew that I needed to hit my favorite consignment store, and suddenly realized I also needed to refill my HBP meds (the ones that help my head) before the Big Ugly heading our way hits us with a foot of snow (seriously, I had to get it two ways) I didn't hesitate: I made tracks, right then.  (Well, after my shower ... c'mon, not even Mama Angel is that gross!)

When I walked in the door, I saw a table full of Valentine's Day stuff, just inside the door.  The earrings weren't the first thing I looked at, but once I picked one up, felt its heft, heard it clink against itself in just that tone (oh, shut up, they're hollow!), I smiled.  When I saw the $3 price tag, I thought I was wrong, especially since it was dated 1/13/11.  No visible marks of any kind, however, so, being me (and trusting my nosy guardian) I looked more carefully.  Just inside the backclasp (they're pierced, posts, but with the spring-loaded self-locker) was "14K."  Crap!  I held on tight, and went to the display by the register, hoping this consigner had more.  No luck.  The clerk brought out the rings for me, though (I didn't even ask!) and one caught my eye.  $60, but just brought in today, and it was heavy.  (And no, that's not a diamond - the mark not only says "14K" but "CZ," and it is.  Makes changing out the stone problematic.)

Anyway, in the time it took to wait for my refill, I picked up over a half-ounce of 14K gold.  Then I taught a class, cleaned the pieces up, tested them (YES!) and weighed them, all before dinner.

I love the ebb and flow of the seasons (even the snow!).  But it's the erratic, cyclic nature of the Hunt that keeps me on my toes.

That, and my lesson-loving, hammer-over-the-head, Winged One.