Decluttering

It’s a happy coincidence for me that the Weekly Prompt is clean up. I just bought one of those contraptions from Amazon to attach to my vacuum in order to get all the lint out of my dryer’s trap (more than just the stuff you grab off the filter). This is supposed to help prevent a fire. As a bonus, the doodad says it also works on refrigerator coils. I am very excited to spend the holiday weekend doing these and other housekeeping chores… I’m certainly in no mood to celebrate the demise of our democracy.

I’ve been slowly decluttering my wardrobe of pieces that no longer fit my lifestyle ~ anything too tight, short, or “sexy,” along with uncomfy shoes. I already dumped all my dangly earrings that I was not able to convert to posts, as they’re too heavy for my fragile earlobes. I’m planning to further downsize my book collection as well. What am I saving them for? I never reread these oldies, for there are way too many new books to try. I’ll give some to friends and donate others to the library.

As I’ve mentioned, I cleaned up this blog last year and began anew April 1. It was a tedious process ~ but worth it. Deleting duplicates and unused pics from my media library was another huge task, but it paid off, and now I have tons of storage space. I do periodically repost poetry and other moldy tidbits that still appeal to me, but long gone are the rants about dating life/ sites, since I no longer date. What a huge declutter that was! I reclaimed so much time, energy, and money that I had been wasting on a pointless endeavor.

Also, I’m pretty rigorous about watching my follow list and getting rid of bloggers who annoy me in one way or another ~ one of the recent ones had a blog that gave you a scam error message when clicked. I know most of you don’t bother checking out followers, but I think it’s important. I’m also not going to interact with people online who denigrate gays, reproductive choice, Democrats, atheists, etc., or who espouse any kind of racism. I don’t need that kind of dirt in my reader.

Finally, I need to clean up my habits and focus on fresh food and exercise. My blood pressure is up for a variety of reasons, but I think I can control it myself. I should take a daily walk, for starters, and get better sleep too. Goodbye cheap, salty, processed meals… hello pricey fruit!

~*~
©️2022 Paula Light and Light Motifs II. No unauthorized use permitted.

5 Things Off My List

Dr. Tanya continues her #5Things series by asking about the stuff we no longer buy due to the pandemic. Welp, in the last several years my purchasing habits have indeed changed, but not because of Covid-19. Read on…

1. Hair coloring. The last time I got my hair colored at the salon was in 2018, before my eldest daughter’s wedding. It’s slowly turned pretty grey since then ~ I estimate about 25% grey. I used to think it was very important to cover the grey because of dating, but now I don’t date, so I save all the money I would have spent on color or highlights at the salon. I get only basic haircuts now.

2. Sexy clothes and shoes. Same deal. I used to think it was necessary to have cute skirts, tight tops, and high heels in my closet in case I met Mr. Right, but I don’t have to worry about that anymore, and the sexy stuff is long gone. My clothes these days are comfy-frumpy, and my shoes are old-lady style to minimize back pain.

3. Costumes. I used to enjoy wearing funny and/or sexy costumes whenever there was a themed event, but I’ve thrown all that stuff in the trash. It was mostly uncomfortable in any case, and these days I’m more inclined to wear a fun sweater to celebrate a theme rather than a costume and makeup.

4. Makeup! Yep, nowadays I may wear lip gloss or lipstick, but that’s about it. No more fussing with my eyes to impress some dumb guy. Actually, I don’t know if any men really care about eye makeup ~ you always hear them say they like the “natural look,” though some women work hard to look natural. My eyes have become too sensitive for makeup lately anyway, so it’s a win-win.

5. Dating site memberships, gah. Due to the erroneous belief that “you get what you pay for,” I subscribed to sites several times, as opposed to hanging out on the free ones, in hopes of meeting men who weren’t lying, cheating, unemployed, illiterate, cat-hating psychos. Wrong! The same scumbags lurk on the pay sites too.

Giving up dating has been a blessing for my wallet. Men complain about having to pay for dinner, but they have no clue how much we spend to look good for them, while they show up for every date in jeans and a slobbo tee shirt. Bleh!

Please refrain from giving me any advice. I haven’t dated in over 5 years and am much happier without all that drama. As the song says…

~*~
©️2022 Paula Light and Light Motifs II. No unauthorized use permitted.

You Can Leave Your Hat On [socs]

Especially if you’re Oddjob. Seriously, no need to take your hat off on my account, Mr. O. Although Tony Soprano might have had something to say about it, if anyone remembers that classic restaurant scene. It’s simply uncouth to wear a hat whilst eating spaghetti next to a mob boss and he is not going to put up with such boorish behavior. In the old days, men wore cool hats… not baseball caps so much, but nice hats that went with suits and sports jackets, like in Mad Men. My dad had hats… I remember once he and my mom had a terrible argument and he was about to walk out but stopped to get his hat. It was a habit, and even if you’re upset, you don’t forget your hat. Anyway, I told him not to go (I was 6 years old) and he didn’t. Yep, it was just like that song “Daddy, Don’t You Walk So Fast,” except he hadn’t left yet. After that, I always felt it was my responsibility to defuse their fights and make things right. I became expert at sensing their moods ~ some people say that’s what creates an empath, but I never call myself one. I’m not that good at figuring out other people’s moods if they aren’t obvious. Mostly, I’d rather not even know. Knowing conveys a vague sense of guilt and cloaks me in a “do something,” even if the problem has nothing to do with me. I’m not talking about joy or any kind of happy emotions, but bad/sad moods.

Anyway, hats. They are nifty. I should wear mine more often.

~*~
©️2022 Paula Light and Light Motifs II. No unauthorized use permitted.

SLS: Wind It Up

Alrighty then. After a month of focusing on the Eagles, I’m back aboard the Song Lyric Sunday train. This week I chose Gwen Stefani’s “Wind It Up” for the keywords pants and shirt. Thanks, Jim, for choosing my theme! One of the cool things about this song is she mashes it up with “The Lonely Goatherd” from The Sound of Music, which is so much fun. I really encourage you to listen to it. The video below references other songs/scenes from TSOM, so if you’re familiar with the film/play, you may be able to spot them if you pay attention.

Gwen wrote this song with Pharrell Williams for her 2005 Harajuku Lovers Tour (Rodgers & Hammerstein are also credited as writers for the Goatherd section). DJ Jeremy Healy created the mashup. Gwen loved it so much she cried (according to Wikipedia) because TSOM is her favorite movie. After the tour, she recorded the song for her 2006 album The Sweet Escape, which was her second solo studio album. “Wind It Up” did not go over well with the critics, and they were especially negative on the yodeling. But people loved the song regardless, and it ended up at No. 6 on Billboard Hot 100, staying on the chart for 18 weeks. It did well in dance clubs and in Europe and Australia also.

High on the hills with the lonely goatherd
Lay-od-lay-od-lay-he-hoo
He yodelled back with the girl and goatherd
Lay-od-lay-od-low

Wind it up
Wind it up
Wind it up
Yodellay, yodallay, yodel-low (yeah)

This is the key that makes us wind up
When the beat comes on, the girls all line up
And the boys all look, but no, they can’t touch
But the girls want to know why boys like us so much
They like way we dance, they like the way we work
They like the way that L.A.M.B. is going ‘cross my shirt
They like the way my pants, it compliments my shape (she’s crazy, right?)
They like the way we react every time we hear the

Every time the bass bangs, realize it calls your name
Let the beat wind you up, and don’t stop ’til your time is up
(Get in line now)

~*~
©️2022 Paula Light and Light Motifs II. No unauthorized use permitted.

Zipper

Image credit to the Carrot Ranch

I still have a warm winter jacket from Chicago, and all it’s ever needed was a replacement zipper. I don’t wear it often here in SoCal, but when I do I marvel how an item was constructed so well that it’s lasted over 35 years, through many cleanings. Nowadays we throw everything away. Clothes and shoes are made cheaply and we get tired of them besides. Electronics and cars become obsolete and we’re forced to upgrade them with newer models. And it’s easy enough to pop onto a dating site and search for a replacement for your current partner.

~*~
©️2022 Paula Light and Light Motifs II. No unauthorized use permitted.

Note: I am catching up on some of the older Carrot Ranch 99-word challenges, but since these are all past the deadlines, I am linking back to the main site in the image credit.

No Rest for the Wicked [socs]

“No rest for the wicked” was the thought that popped up when I saw Linda’s prompt for today. Then, as usual, I second-guessed myself. Is that a thing, I wondered? Or have I remembered it wrong, as I do so many phrases? Google is always our friend in these situations.

The saying is biblical and it is definitely “a thing.” It means that evil-doers will face eternal punishment when the rest of us (for the sake of brevity, let’s assume “we” are in the not-evil group, though obviously that can be debated in individual cases, including mine) will be allowed to relax in heaven, or wherever. That’s a nice thought, since the vast majority of us have to work hard all our lives and are tired much of the time. Won’t it be nice to just lie back on a fluffy cloud with angelic harp music playing, drink some sweet tea, and nibble on sugar cookies all day? If you’re not a cookie person, I’m sure they have a wide variety of savory snacks. I assume we sleep at night in heaven, though I don’t really know. Would we need sleep? Do they have night? I’d be reading romance novels, of course, and speaking of that… I just finished a good one and will be doing a review. So you can look forward to that in the here and now, probably.

Anyway, “Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked” is a song by Cage the Elephant, not that I’ve heard it. But it was the first hit on Goog. Ozzy Osborne titled a whole album No Rest for the Wicked, which certainly isn’t surprising. I’ve never been a huge Ozzy fan, though I do enjoy “going off the rails on a crazy train.” What a great phrase/song that is. I don’t remember the rest of the lyrics without googling again. (So weird, it played on the car radio after I wrote this.)

There’s also a store called “No Rest for Bridget,” which is a cute play on words. There was one at Bella Terra in Huntington Beach, but I don’t know if it’s still there. Who even wanders around malls anymore? Even before the pandammit, I hardly went to the malls for shopping because of the limited selection. Why go to a meatspace store for pants when you’re only going to find the same borings in black, beige, and navy. I go online and find pants in every style, every size, every color, not that I necessarily want purple pants with pink polka dots, but I might. I wonder why they call them polka dots? I have to google that. Apparently, dot fabric became popular around the same time as the polka craze, so there you go.

Don’t I sound like the dad in My Big Fat Greek Wedding? I love that movie. My favorite line is: “He don’t eat meat? That’s OK. I make lamb.” I need to rewatch it again. I laugh EVERY TIME. (Note: I watched it again after I wrote this.)

My stream has dried up now. Have a good Saturday.

~*~
©️2022 Paula Light and Light Motifs II. No unauthorized use permitted.

Weekend Sky

I usually don’t post full-size photos, but Google Photos created this lovely panorama for me and I had to share it for Weekend Sky. I’m thankful I get to live in such a pretty place. I get cold a lot, but the truth is that low 40s is pretty much the lowest temp we get and that’s doable. Today I switched my sweater for a real coat, which made a big difference. Who knew? Coats, what a marvelous invention. I also wore a cozy scarf because I had to walk a bit around the Civic Center in Santa Ana to deal with my notary stuff ~ it turned out to be more than a bit because as usual I forgot where I parked. After walking for a half-hour, I was actually too toasty in my coat.

Please don’t expect all my posts to be this fascinating, thank you.

~*~
©️2022 Paula Light and Light Motifs II. No unauthorized use permitted.

5 Skills Lost to Covid

Dr. Tanya continues her #5Things series by asking how our lives have changed during the pandemic ~ specifically what skills have we lost.

1. Wearing sexy shoes/boots. My feet and back are just saying NO to any uncomfy footwear, which basically means all of the sexy high-heeled stuff. To be fair, it was happening before Covid too, but now it’s very pronounced. Last week I wore some cute black boots to work and my feet hurt all day. I’ve since dumped them in the trash. The boots, not my feet.

2. Holding the door. In these times of social distancing, it’s generally better not to hold the door for the person behind you. If you do hold it, you end up physically closer than if you don’t.

3. Getting on the available elevator. Nope. If I see anyone unmasked in there or about to get on, I wait for the next one. In fact, I prefer an elevator all to myself, and I see no reason not to indulge that preference now.

4. Saying yes just to be agreeable. It has become perfectly acceptable to turn down any invitation or even some work-related tasks because you feel they are too risky with respect to Covid cooties. I am taking full advantage of this to avoid sh!t I never want to do anyway.

5. Dating. Yeah yeah yeah, I had already ditched the nightmare of trying to meet someone via a dating site, but still I want to take the opportunity to say yet again what a horror show the whole thing is. You think the same jerks who lie about their age, height, job, marital status, and STDs are gonna tell the truth about being vaxxed? Bwahahaha.

~*~
©️2022 Paula Light and Light Motifs II. No unauthorized use permitted.

Kaleidostyle

In this week’s episode of Throwback Thursday, Maggie has a lot of questions about style. Let’s get to it.

1. At what age did you become concerned about the clothes you wore? Did you get hand-me-downs or new clothes? Were any of your clothes made by hand? If so, by whom? Were you allowed to select your own clothes and assemble your own ensembles? At what age did you start buying your own wardrobe?

I became aware that I looked and dressed differently from other children when I began kindergarten. Basically, I was a fat kid with glasses, and I wore pretty dresses my mom often made (not because we were poor, but because she enjoyed it) or stretch pants. I didn’t own a pair of jeans until I was 11 and had slimmed down. For these reasons, and because I was (and am) terrible at sports, I was mocked and bullied by other children. I chose my own outfits (no hand-downs since I was an only), but I had no idea of style or what might have been more flattering.

2. What fashion fads did you adopt? Did you have certain colors you loved to wear? Were you of the hippie generation of perhaps a child of the 1980s? What was the wildest or craziest outfit you ever wore?

Well, I loved the bright, fun hippie colors. Anything rainbow or tie-dyed was my jam. Turquoise, purples, pinks, sunflower, lime green, tropical orange, etc. were all in my closet. I also adored cute boots. My favorite outfit for a while was a deep purple leotard with a lavender skirt. I had matching purple tights and white go-go boots. At the time, in the 1970s, it didn’t seem crazy. In the 1980s, I became fond of bright leggings topped by a big colorful shirt, and I kept on with that style through the next decade too.

3. What about jewelry? Did you have piercings? Were they done by you or by others? What jewelry fads do you remember?

I’ve had my ears pierced since age 13 or so. I have gone through various jewelry fads from making my own beaded items to gold chains to turquoise, and so on. These days I either wear some basic gold jewelry or silver stuff, depending on my outfit. I have fun costume jewelry for holidays.

4. Now think about your hairstyles. What cuts did you sport? Did you ever color your hair? Did you try to alter your hair in any other way (cutting, ironing, shaving, curling)?

My hairstyle has always been plain whether shorter or longer. I just part it and let it dry however it goes. For a while, around age 18 or so, I fussed with curling irons and such, but except for special occasions, it’s just too much bother. Same goes for makeup, which I hardly wear at all now.

5. How has your taste changed over the years?

Not as far as colors ~ still love all the brights, especially when paired with black and/or animal prints. But these days I don’t wear heels over 2” because of back pain, and I’m inclined to choose comfort over fashion. In the last several years, I’ve dumped anything sexy (tight and/or short) because I don’t feel good wearing it.

~*~
©️2022 Paula Light and Light Motifs II. No unauthorized use permitted.

Resolutions [FPQ]

Fandango provocatively asks…

Do you plan on making any New Year’s resolutions this year. If so, can you share a few of them with us? If not, why not?

I always make resolutions ~ every week I say to myself OMG I have to eat more vegetables and get more (any) exercise. Every week I fail, pretty much. That doesn’t stop me from trying to do better and this week is no exception. But it is the end of the year, so that’s a bit special. Here are some of my goals for 2022 and beyond with the theme that life is short and getting shorter (I turned 60 this year).

1. Don’t waste time watching dumb movies or reading bad books. Even if halfway through, abandon it if it’s not pleasurable. There is too much good stuff out there I’ll never have time for anyway. Find it! I’m on my 117th book for the year, which sounds great, except that to get there I forced myself to finish nearly every book I began. Some were terrible and I’m not doing that again.

2. Don’t say yes to things I don’t want to do. I enjoy a little bit of socializing, not a lot, and I give myself permission to stay home/not zoom when I don’t feel like being around people. Again, there are too many good books I have left to read. Often, I find myself wishing I were reading a book when I’m in the middle of a social event, even the few occasions that were available in 2021. I’m not going to be rude and leave halfway through, but I need to be more proactive with turning stuff down, or simply not flinging out an RSVP to an event in the future. My time is precious!

3. Don’t keep clothes I dislike just because I already spent the money and/or they’re “still good.” Today I tossed a shirt in the trash because it was itchy. Life is too short to wear itchy clothing! And no, I can’t be bothered to waste gas and drive over to Goodwill with it, boo hoo.

4. Find nutritious food that is also tasty and focus on those things rather than forcing myself to eat things I dislike because they’re good for me. For example, I enjoy cooked vegetables but not salad so much. So there is no need to make myself eat raw veggies when I could nuke a package of spinach. Same with exercise: find fun ways to exercise instead of trying to punish myself on the elliptical. Just walking is just fine.

5. Don’t write if I don’t want to. Seems simple enough, but I’ve been berating myself off and on that I no longer work on the novels and stories I’ve started. Who cares? I enjoy writing on this blog and posting poetry on a weekly basis. I don’t enjoy toiling for endless hours on a story that hardly anyone will buy or read after I upload it to Amazon. Maybe later on I’ll want to get back to those WIPs, but I don’t now, so I give myself a pass to simply let that stuff sit in the cloud until it appeals to me again, if ever.

That’s my resolution/philosophy going forward: be kind to myself. The older I get, the more I want to fill my time with activities I enjoy and avoid stuff I don’t, which should be easy, but it takes “mindfulness,” to use a horrible cliché. But being kind to myself is as important as being kind to others. I’m an “other” too!

~*~

©️2021 Paula Light and Light Motifs II. No unauthorized use permitted. Please check out Paula’s books for sale on Amazon. Thank you.