The mayor...why won't he go away?

I'm going to keep this generic but most people will know what I'm talking about...

The mayor of my city...This is not someone I voted for and although I was stunned when he won the election, I always say that because of my own economic situation, it doesn't matter who is elected as me and mine will be ok.  

I am more than simply a taxpayer of my city, province and country.  I am a citizen.  I realise that if I want good roads, decent schools for children, civic infra-stucture, safe neighbourhoods, public transit, healthcare, pensions etc., I have to pay taxes.  These things are not free. I believe in helping out those less fortunate.  This is what separates the citizens from the taxpayers.   

That being said, I now I want this mayor to go away and get some help, for himself and for his wife and children.  He is not up to the job.  He has never been up to the job.  I'm going to go so far as to say that the job is beyond his capabilities.  He can't handle it without at least alcohol and possibly more.  I have read the police report  (400+ pages) and I don't believe the people, who have cooperated with the cops, are all lying when giving similar accounts of incidents described therein.  So, somebody else is lying.  

While we are at it, I would like his brother to go away too.  If he loves his mayor brother - and given his actions I don't think he does - he would get him into rehab.  If his mother loves her mayor son, she would urge him into rehab.  The goal with this family seems to be greater political aspiration for the brother.  God help us all.

Inertia Again

I am suffering from inertia again.  I can't seem to get much done.  I have a nephew who decided he was going to be a hotdog for Hallowe'en.  I have the fabric and the concept in my head for this costume, but it is not getting done.  I should clarify.  I'm not doing nothing as I've been very busy with family and household chores but not much in the creative department.  I think after Canadian Thanksgiving, things will settle down.  

We are reorganising the house a bit.  Cleaning out stuff and tidying up.  80% of the accumulated stuff is mine which I freely admit.  I have to let some of it go.  I went crazy on eBay a few years ago.  I bought stuff like there was no tomorrow.  Now I will probably end up selling some of it back on eBay again!  Full circle.  

I am loving the weather in Toronto right now.  Cool and crisp in the morning which is when I like to walk.  I found a new route with what I will call a "killer hill" about halfway.  It's not really all that steep but it is long and gradual.  It's like having the Walkfit (which of course I want) without having to pay for it, and I'm getting fresh air.

The Selfie and the Selfie Haircut

I had no idea what a "selfie" was until the cringe-worthy one by a certain moustachioed guy was plastered on the internet.  It turns out, I've been taking lots of them which I sometimes post on here.  

One of my latest projects - and my sisters advise me that it is not a good idea - is the do-it-myself haircut.  I have a short pixie that is well-behaved.  I slap some hair goo in, rub it around and I'm ready for public inspection.  I haven't used a hairbrush or comb since 1999!  It was getting longer than I liked but I didn't feel like going downtown so I started snipping off bits that were sticking out here and there.  I used proper haircutting scissors that I bought years ago and I think I did ok!  So here are some "selfies" of my haircut.

Retirement Clothing

I used to think when I retired that I would wear only clothing from Coldwater Creek while I filled my days supporting the arts, or lunching with the ladies.  Of course the reality is far different.  Mostly, its been Land's End.

I was discussing the concept of retirement wear with my sister and we thought a good retirement item would be some sort of vest or smock.   A funky garment that would have lots of big pockets to hold all the stuff you could possibly need.  I decided I would try to construct this garment.  A "utility" vest of sorts.  My first attempt was a disaster.  Ugly beyond comprehension and only good for the joke factor.  I will have to reconstruct it into a shopping bag or something.

I'm looking forward to casual wear.  A couple of weeks ago, I had to venture downtown in a business suit and it was 33 degrees.  I'm not going to miss that.  

I'm not going to be hanging out in stretchy pants the rest of my days, I'll stay presentable.  A happy medium between Coldwater Creek and Land's End with a the Utility Vest to pull it all together.  

Hobbies and Second Careers

I'm  a crafter.  I almost always have some sort of project on the go.  Lately, I've been making dolls and have sold one.  A custom doll.  I've decided the pressure was too great for any more custom dolls as it took me three attempts to get the doll just right.  Paying myself minimum wage, this doll was worth $500.00 but needless to say, I didn't get anywhere near that.

Crafting is a thankless task.  I've gone to church sales and seen beautiful hand-knit socks for $10 a pair.  That's robbery.  I have participated in Craft shows and sales and had people come up to my work (in this case intricate scarves) and scoff at a $30 price tag, which barely paid for the yarn.  They would walk away and say, "I could get my grandmother to make it for free!"  I'd like to know where these generous grannies with nothing but time to make items for demanding grandchildren are hiding.  I know mine would have said, "Make it yourself."

I'm thinking that although most of my items are made at a loss, if I pay myself minimum wage, I can still sell these dolls.  I enjoy making them and if I can recoup my costs while I'm keeping myself creative and occupied, why not?  Once I have enough dolls completed and clothed, I'll probably post them for sale on Etsy.

One of my good friends who is retired from a commercial and fine art career, has recently posted his photography which is stunning.  http://www.redbubble.com/people/bgbcreative/portfolio

Retired

Retired.  There I said it.  I’m retired.  This is a life-phase that I had not expected for about 5 or 6 more years.  After a long and well-respected career in capital market regulation, I was downsized in a re-organization.  Downsized and devastated.  Over the next year, I found that I was too old (55!) and expensive to be hired in my chosen field.  Depression ensued. Despite encouragement from my family and good chums (who are retired) that this was a rare opportunity, I felt like I had somehow failed.  Financially it is viable for me to be retired, but it took a long time for me to accept it.

Which brings me to my closet.  My closet was stuffed with the 46 pairs of shoes, previously mentioned, and lots of business wear.  So stuffed that I could not fit in anything else.  So everything that I wear with regularity was on the floor, dresser, and the strewn over the 4 boxes of office stuff that was also in there.  And as almost everything that I wear is black, it made hunting for specific clothing very frustrating.  The state of my closet suggested I was either optimistic at the prospect of finding a new job or I was depressed and unable to clear the stuff out.  I think it was a combination of both.  

I cleaned out the closet.  I kept two suits and a few things that I thought I might wear again and dispersed the rest hither and yon.  I can now see the back wall of the closet and clothes are hung up instead of on the floor. Yay.

So...I’m sorta kinda ready to accept that I am retired.  At least for now.  I won’t rule out another corporate opportunity if it comes along - although the thought of going downtown daily on the subway again gives me the shivers.  Instead, I’ll concentrate on this next phase of my journey.  I will try to write, make dolls and other crafty things and see how that goes.  It is good that I have this opportunity while I’m still relatively young enough to enjoy it.  I haven’t yet thrown my arms out and embraced it.  But I will, eventually.

Shoes

I've been slowly but surely tidying up our small bedroom.  For the past few years it has been my crap receptacle but for the past 18 months it has been in an unacceptable state.  Not a room I wanted to go in but as it contains my clothes and my escape bed, I couldn't always avoid it.  I'm at the closet cleaning stage as it occurred to me the clothes in the closet were not the clothes being worn (I'll address the reason why in another post).  I was taking out my shoes and it started to get funny then it got ridiculous.  There are 46 pairs in the picture and that is just what was in that closet.  It doesn't include the ones I'm wearing, my wedding shoes, a pair of Mickey Mouse sneakers, some killer green suede pumps and all my winter wear.  The total of my footwear is probably around 57 pairs.   Of these shoes, I could probably immediately cull out only about 5 pairs.  I need to be ruthless and ask myself: how often I wear them;  are they comfortable; are they out of style; do they still fit me; and, do I need them?  It's a challenge.  

I want to get this room in better order so that it is welcoming to me as I'd like to put a writing surface in there.  I'm typing this on a TV table in the living room, not the most comfortable or quiet spot.