It’s a beautifully sunny Friday morning - not too hot or humid, but rather just comfortably warm. I’m fully dressed for lounging at my desk for the next few hours. We’ve already gottern rid of 2 of the 4 things we put up on Freecycle (a sewing machine and a chair), and I’ve got a head that’s been slathered with red hair dye, and a fully stocked playlist of good tunes. Eddie made me a cup of coffee, which I drank in record time, and I’m pondering getting another one. This is weird, because I’m not a coffee drinker at all.

It was brought to my attention that Blogathon ‘06 is next weekend, so I signed up. And then I read that you’re now supposed to be posting every half hour rather than every hour, and since I have enough issues trying to come up with 24 posts in a day I decided to drop out because 48 posts in a day is insane.

I’m in the market for another tattoo. I’m looking into a couple of designs for the backs of my shoulders so that I can get Tigger covered up. I’m also looking for something to do in memory of my grandfather, since this September marks 10 years he’s been dead and we were very close. When I first said I was planning on doing something but didn’t have any idea of what to do, Eddie asked if there was any words of wisdom he gave me in life. Unfortunately, the only sage advice that my Pop-Pop ever gave me was “You never see a dead cat in a tree.” This doesn’t make for a good tattoo (remind me to post about the backstory to that someday, ok?). Fortunately, Pop was both a sailor and a firefighter, both of which offer a plethora of ideas on their own.

And just for shits and giggles, I present another moron on AIM.

justin9225js: hi
Sheleycoat: hi
justin9225js: how old r u
Sheleycoat: 29. We’ve been over this before.
justin9225js: yea i no
justin9225js: I am so so horny rite now
Sheleycoat: Good for you. Why does this concern me?
justin9225js: arent u a adult entertainer
Sheleycoat: Um, no, why would you get that idea?
justin9225js: i thought u were
Sheleycoat: No, I haven’t done anything like that in about 3 years. It bores me.
justin9225js: do u wanna have sex
Sheleycoat: Not at the moment since I’m sitting here with a head full of hair dye, but when I do, I’ll be sure to ask my incredibly well hung husband to give it to me.
justin9225js: o u married
Sheleycoat: Yes, we’ve been through all of this before.
justin9225js: o well
Sheleycoat: Your loss, not mine.

Yesterday, almost 6 years after openning my first Cafepress shop, I received my first check from them. Tonight, Eddie and I spent my whopping $28 on dinner at Chello’s.

Today went nicely compared to Tuesday night’s dealings with Apu*. The store was dead, and we stood around with our thumbs up our asses, discussing exboyfriends and family between refilling scripts for psych meds and birth control. It rained on the way to pick up Eddie, but thankfully this week’s heat wave has broken and it wasn’t too uncomfortable to drive with the windows up for the short time I needed to.

Eddie has tomorrow off, and so we’re spending the afternoon at home. I put up a bunch of stuff on Freecycle, and so far it’s all been promised, and with any luck it will all be picked up. I’m also planning on slapping some red dye into my hair in the morning, hoping to get something more than just the reddish tints I’ve been getting lately (damn it, I want my candy apple red hair again!). I work until close, and I’m hoping that it’s just as dead and that one of the regular RPhs is in the store so that maybe I can get some studying in before my exam on Saturday morning.

* Not his real name, of course.

I got snarky and decided that after the first bunch of emails from people who didn’t understand my pickup time restrictions on the sewing machine, I fired off a somewhat cranky email to the list.

Perhaps I wasn’t clear in the first email.

The sewing machine is only available between now and 3pm, or next week, also in the afternoons. It is not available on the weekends, nor is it available after 3pm. If getting it today prior to 3pm does not work for you, we can make arrangements for sometime next week during the afternoon, prior to 3pm, when I am home.

The emphasis in the note is mine. I figured most people would ignore it, and I’d probably get a couple of annoyed emails from those who wanted the sewing machine and who had already had their emails ignored by me. Imagine my surprise when the first reply I receive about it is from the same person who replied with the previously posted “i’ll pick up after 5pm” assumption, apparently still unable to comprehend simple words.

Thank you, no I didn’t totally get that the first time around. I can come by on Tuesday morning if you like.

Someone take this woman out of the genepool.

I have a love-hate relationship with Freecycle. It’s a good idea, in theory. Have something you don’t want that’s taking up space in your house? Not worth putting it on ebay, or don’t have enough shit to have a yard sale? Send an email to the list and maybe someone will take it off your hands. Need something that’s not worth buying off ebay or new in a store? Email the list and see if anyone has it. Sure, sounds good!

However, there seems to be a few different types of people who use Freecycle. There’s those who use it to find things that actually do need. Maybe they’re looking for toys for their grandkids to play with when they visit. Maybe someone who has just taken up a hobby but isn’t very serious about it wants something to practice with, like me when I wanted a sewing machine last year. There’s people who want old clothes for women’s shelters and blankets for the homeless. There’s collectors looking for old video games in your attic or any junk you might have so they can sell it on Ebay or at the fleamarket.

And then there’s my favorite. The people who post half their life story in the email.

I just moved here from across the country and I left everything! I have 5 beautiful kids and I’m a stay at home single mom and I need a kitchen set (wood please!), a living room set in shades of sage green and cream with matching lamps, beds for each of the children with bedding for all, preferably with Dora, Blues Clues, and Bratz themes, a wrought iron queen bed frame with mattress and boxspring for myself with bedding in light blue, and bathroom decorations with a seashell print. Oh, and if you’ve got any coupons for Marlboros for my wheelchairbound mother who can’t afford to buy them for herself because she’s on a fixed income and her 15 heart medications are expensive, that would be great!

Seriously. No one needs to know this shit. If anything, your attempts to garner favoritism by posting your sob story, true or not, put you at the bottom of my list of people I want to give my shit to.

I also hate posting things on the list. Why? Because as much as I love to get rid of my shit by giving it to people who will get some sort of use out of it, I hate that 90% of the people who reply to my offers try to play Let’s Make a Deal with me. For instance, I posted the following offer this morning:

Passing on one that I got last summer through freecycle - an ancient Kenmore tabletop/portable model in it’s plastic case w/ cover that works beautifully. Heavy as hell and I’ve lost the instruction manual, but it comes with all its attachments. It can be picked up anytime today until 3pm, or we can make arrangements for an afternoon pickup next week.

Does anyone actually read my email aside from the “offer: sewing machine” in the subject? I doubt it. I won’t do pickups after 3pm because I have no idea what we might be doing once Eddie gets home, and I know that we won’t be around on the weekend. Every single email I’ve received so far is from people who can’t pick it up until after they get out of work. And every single email just assumes this is ok. Every. Single. Email.

would make me very happy to swing by and pick up this afternoon after 5. Let me know the address, thanks

I don’t give a shit how happy it would make you to pick it up, don’t just assume that because you’ve emailed me about it that I’m going to change my mind about allowing you to pick it up later. Jesus, people. You’re getting this shit for free, don’t assume that I’m that desperate to get rid of it that I’ll rearrange my schedule for you.

I decided that I’m going to bring the Bride to walmart tomorrow, since I’ll have the car anyway and because I want to see her face when she gets it. This way, I can bring it down to show it to Nanny first, then bring it up to Walmart. At that point I’ll head to the fabric store to check out some kimono-type fabric. I’ve got an idea brewing in my head already, and hopefully it turns out ok. I’ve also found a pattern for the kimono and bookmarked that site, and bought the wool socks. Plus, the sock-seller said she’d be happy to supply me with bundles of green and white socks if I get swamped with orders for more stepdancers, which is awesome.

Today I’m doing some dishes and changing the sheets on the bed. I can’t do the dishes until after 9:30am, as I’m waiting for a local freecycler to come and pick up the Rubbermaid closet we’ve got in the kitchen blocking the dishwasher and the fridge. I don’t know how he’s going to fit it into his PT Cruiser, but I do know that we managed to fit about 7 people in one once while I worked at Colibri, and they’re deceptively large inside. If it doesn’t fit, I’m sure we can get it popped apart a bit in the driveway.

Speaking of freecycle, why don’t people understand that when I say something has been promised (and that I’ll repost if it’s not picked up for whatever reason), that they can’t have the item? My god, people, you’re swamping me with emails for a $15 pop-up closet that has been promised for 12 hours and is due to be picked up in 10 minutes, emailing me isn’t going to change that.

Tonight? Survivor, and then the premier of CSI. I’m also taping the premier of ER, since CSI is a 2-hour and I don’t want to miss ER. And since I haven’t mastered the art of taping one channel and watching another, we’ll be watching CSI in the bedroom. This just shows that we need to get a Tivo or something like that.