Not MIA yet

I'm pleased to report that the contractor I've hired to replace my side door is doing an excellent job. Only some cosmetic touches remain - the door itself is installed and perfectly balanced. Having watched the guy do some of the work, and keeping in mind what my current skill level is with this kind of thing, I'm glad I didn't attempt to do the work myself. Definitely beyond my skill level.

I know Kirsten tagged me some time ago for a book meme, and I haven't forgotten. Perhaps tonight or tomorrow I'll get around to answering the tag.

I also might have some of my sketching efforts to post soon. One drawing is finished - or near finished, if I can just decide whether to spray it with fixitive. I seem to lack critical decision-making skills when it comes to finishing a drawing. The drawing has sat in different rooms, in different lighting (both day and night) and viewed both close and from afar. And I still can't decide if I'm satisfied. Argh. I guess if I have to ask, the answer is no...

In the meantime, I'll pass along an enjoyable short essay from NPR's "This I Believe" series, written by Brian Grazer, Academy Award-winning producer of A Beautiful Mind. Entitled "Disrupting My Comfort Zone", it's been haunting the recesses of my mind quite a bit lately.

So why do I continue to subject myself to this sort of thing? The answer is simple: Disrupting my comfort zone, bombarding myself with challenging people and situations -- this is the best way I know to keep growing. And to paraphrase a biologist I once met, if you're not growing, you're dying.

If you've some time, peruse the other essays as well.

Good news!

A wonderful thing happened to me last night. I found the one piece of jewelry whose loss had been giving me some heartache.

Back in February I took a trip to Tucson to see some friends, meet some new freedom-minded folks, and visit the Tucson Rock & Mineral Show. One of my neighbors had recently been burgled, and I took steps to hide some of my more valuable jewelry - just in case.

After I returned, I put it all back in my jewerly box, or so I thought. In fact, until last night I had been certain I'd put it all back. I could have sworn I saw this ring in with all my other jewelry. But no, it was still in its hiding place - a really good one if I say so myself.

The ring is a gold and diamond ring that my cousin gave me as a gift for being her maid of honor. When our grandmother died and we were still quite young, it was decided that she, as the eldest grandaughter, would receive my grandmother's wedding ring. Later, when we were older, she didn't think it was right that I didn't have a least a part of the ring. So, as a gift to me, she had the largest diamond removed and set in another band for me, and replaced it with a ruby in grandmother's ring.

It was the loss of that ring that drove me to scout the depressing pawn shops. And last night, still tucked away with cup hooks (pretty smart, eh? brass cup hooks look incredibly similar to a gold band) and screws, I discovered I hadn't put it away. I found my college class ring, too.

Sure, I'll have to call my insurance claims rep and sort that all out, but that diamond ring was the one unreplaceable item of significant sentimental value, and I'm over the moon those thieving bastards didn't get their grubby hands on it.

Thank you, Netflix!

A big hurrah to Netflix for being so understanding about their DVDs that were stolen, along with my own collection, last week.

Because I've been a good customer, Netflix wrote off the DVDs as "lost", and didn't charge me.

Thank you, Netflix, for taking one more thing off my mind.