Tuesday, April 21, 2015

Progress: I am making it. And Battle of the Bands winner for 4.21.15

Good morning and good Tuesday to ya. It is sunny and bright (though cool), and I am hoping for the kind of productive day I've needed for months now. I am getting closer to figuring out what all to list on Etsy, and today is the first good light I've had on a day off since....I don't know when! I also hope we get the yard started, at least, and that maybe - just maybe - I can get outside and get caught up on some spray painting projects!

Progress...

I have to say I am pretty excited by the progress I've made in different areas of my life lately: I have actually put furniture together, added more storage for the Etsy stuff, and am getting more done in the cataloging and inventorying process necessary to both declutter/downsize my home and get the Etsy shop off the ground. I've managed to get ten pounds off in three weeks (unfortunately, three came back. But I am still clinging to my ten pound loss as progress - I am not stress eating, so I figure it's stress causing me to hold onto it and put a bit back. No big deal. I will just be more diligent and do everything I can to ease my stress levels. Which brings me to today's Coffee Chat topic: "Tell me about a recent fear you faced."

Coffee Chat...

To be honest, aside from something bad happening to my family, I really am not afraid of much. So what is there? Just the upcoming move. Or not move. Yes, I know I decided to move, but am having second thoughts. I do still want to get back "home," but I am terrified of having to start over there. I left there for a reason and while I am confident that being a different person now I could live there more happily than before, part of me just doesn't want to go. Still, the call to outright own my home in a secluded patch of land is a strong call. But? Jobs. I'd need one; I can't transfer with my current company. And it is nigh to impossible to get hired somewhere out of state when you can't just abandon the job you currently have to go several hours away for interviews. Because all the places I could work would require that; I do not work in a specialized, professional field where I can schedule an interview at my convenience, where people want to look at my achievements and experience. I have to run when a potential employer calls because they have dozens of others waiting to interview for any given position. And unfortunately, my particular skill set isn't one that is just so amazing only I can do it. Sadly, experience doesn't go as far in my field as availability.

So, what am I doing? Well, since I have literally three months, tops, to finance this place or leave it, I am taking a two-pronged approach: I am getting my ducks in a row to try financing AND I am submitting applications to places back home, hoping that when the time comes I'll have the place here OR be more ready to start my life over there. Of course, where the house is concerned there is a whole new set of stresses whether I move or not. But I ask myself almost daily, "What more could I be doing to facilitate either a move or a stay and making either option a good choice and as stress-free as possible?" And I can honestly say that there isn't much more I can do other than research and direct planning. We all know that diligence and planning only get us so far; at some point we have to hope luck or karma or the universe or the Lord steps in and works in our favor. But one thing is for sure: I will not just lie down and let life roll over me.

What is a recent fear that you faced, or are facing? How are you coping? To participate in Coffee Chat, head to Time Out For Mom.

Battle of the Bands Winner...

As for Battle of the Bands, it is no surprise that Cake takes the cake! By a vote of 7-2, not including my own. Before I announce my vote, I just have a thing or two to say. I knew from the beginning that I was going to throw Cake's undeniably quirky cover, which they owned, by the way, into the mix. The trouble was finding another worthy cover to go head to head with it. I chose the Foo Fighters/Zac Brown because all the other potential contenders I looked at just basically stuck too close to the Black Sabbath original. Several (or maybe just one, I can't remember) of you commented that FF/ZB stuck close to the original - AND THEY DID - a reason I chose not to feature some other artists - however, the similarity to the original ended for me at the arrangement. ALL I heard when I heard their performance was FF's unique, sonic, energy-fueled sound and Zac's not-quite-twangy-southern vocals. So, while very similar, I also thought they owned their cover. In the end, I also gave my vote to Cake, though, because this is probably one of the only covers where an artist has so completely reinvented the musical sound as to be unrecognizable from the original, and did it so well.

To see who won all the other battles, head to Battle of the Bands to the master list of participants and have a look!

Today's music: Here's more quirky music from today's Battle of the Bands winner, Cake, with "Love You Madly":

This post also participating in Random Tuesday:

12 comments:

  1. KIM ~
    Your Battle went completely different from mine. I was afraid I'd get stuck with a tie, but I did have a winner by a single vote. That's my favorite kind of BOTB, where it's almost a tie but... not... quite.

    See ya again on May 1st, my friend!

    ~ D-FensDogG
    'Loyal American Underground'

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    1. Yes, it sure did! I am surprised more people didn't like FF/ZB, but I knew everyone would get a kick out of Cake.

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  2. The very idea of moving would probably send me into a panic! I am not afraid of actually moving.... it's all the WORK of packing up an entire house of 5 people's STUFF. I feel faint....
    I think your two way approach is the wisest choice! hopefully the answer will eventually be clear.

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    1. I hope so, too! Of course, packing up and moving will give me anxiety, but nowhere near the anxiety of just not having a clue what's going to happen next.

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  3. I would LOVE to move into a bigger house with some land, but would be a daunting task to say the least. However to pull up roots and transplant myself elsewhere then I'd be a nervous Nellie. I can't imagine living anywhere other than here in East Tennessee. It's safe to say, we would never move back to our hometown. There is really nothing there for us other than family, but DH has to work, so that's not going to happen. But, even if we didn't need the money I wouldn't want to move back home because of the location. I hope whatever you decide, it'll be the right one for you. I know this is a difficult choice to make, but you're approaching it from a safe advantage. I'll post the outcome of my last round of BoTB tomorrow. Great battle showdown!

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    1. Thank you! Yes, how you feel about your hometown seems to be about how I feel about mine. However....I'm a different person now, and my situation is different now, and it could possibly afford me the opportunity to live WELL within my means instead of just scraping by. Or....not.

      I do know that if I stay where I am, and in my current job, it's going to be tight. But it's also what I've known for the past 15 years, so there's still familiarity.

      If I do move, I will very likely be downsizing - and my current house is only about 1400 square feet! But with just me, I'll only need room for my pets, a guest, and the stuff I can't part with :)

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  4. Actually I'm somewhat surprised that Cake won, but glad to hear it. I'll have to go back to look at my picks for "War Pigs" since I thought I'd found a few worthy contenders. Maybe I can still do this one without the Cake version.

    Moving is indeed a daunting undertaking, but I'm hoping after my wife retires we can do exactly that. I'd like to move back east closer to where our kids have moved.

    Arlee Bird
    A to Z Challenge Co-host
    Tossing It Out

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    1. I'm not surprised Cake won, I'm just surprised they won by as wide a margin as they did. But that cover was definitely worthy of the win, so I'm not complaining.

      Moving is indeed stressful. If I do move, at least I'll have family there to help, and take the edge off. I'd like to go, but a part of me doesn't want to because I am so used to the conveniences of here....nice cable and internet, close proximity to a lot of places I like to travel (but usually can't afford to living here). Definitely pros and cons to either a stay or a move.

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  5. Not too surprised by the 'Cake' win, of course that's who I voted for.

    On moving and decisions to move or not to move, that's a big one, with so many factors involved. It seems as though you have your head screwed on right and are weighing all of your options. In the end, I think, you'll just have to make the decision and go for it, whatever it may be,

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    1. I think you are right. I did make a decision, but as it turns out, I might not be able, for various reasons, to stick with it. It's the waiting and the wondering that has me in knots, but I am trying to prepare for either eventuality.

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