And Then There Was Bored.

I've had my mind on crafty, artsy stuff of late. I mean, the part of my mind that isn't occupied with perusing the Classifieds and searching for various certification programs, volunteer opportunities, and boards to serve on to make myself more employable. I'm even learning Spanish again, in part because I love the lyricism of it, the pure poetry of everyday speaking in Spanish, and in part because being bilingual will make me a prize to win in the human services field. Ulterior motives: everybody has 'em.

This was my first project. It holds my remotes now.

In the past few weeks, I have amassed a giant stack of 2 for $1 coloring books, plus enough crayons, markers, and colored pencils to outfit three kindergarten classes. I went to a closeout sale at a craft store downtown and came back with an armload of supplies (see left; note the colored pencils); and then went thrifting and came back with cheap junk to transform. I'm missing a few things I either blanked out on or didn't realize I'd need, like paintbrushes, a hot glue gun, and some Mod-Podge, so some of my ideas have been put on hold till I'm not broke-ass and can run my butt up to the LHU bookstore and get them. (They're expensive up there, but it's the only place in town left with crafty stuff now. They keep it for the art majors.)

I've also been hitting Pinterest for no-sew ideas for old t-shirts and decoration tips for leftover wine bottles, empty oatmeal canisters, etcetera. I want to start brewing my own tea with fresh ingredients. I'm even (gasp!) learning to cook. I usually make something at least passable, though I really had to try to choke down the trout I marinated in garlic and cracked black pepper earlier this week. As it turns out, those two things together do not work well with trout. I make a really good turkey burger these days, though. I'd give you all the recipe, but most of the ingredients are measured in quantities of "some": Pat out burger and simmer on low until cracks form in the meat as it cooks. Add some barbecue sauce. Flip. Repeat with other side. Turn up and cover. When burger is nearly done, return to a simmer. Add some pepper, some salt, some cayenne, to taste. In a separate skillet, "toast" bread by spraying each side with olive oil and allowing it to sit 10 seconds on each side. Sprinkle some salt over bread, if desired. Remove burger from flame. Assemble, dressing it with a fresh spinach leaf and some fat-free feta cheese. Nom. (See?)

I've even had this idea to make a comic that shows how funny it can be to live with a disability. Not like a strip; more like Rage Comics. I tried it one night in Paint, but I have a hard time with it. I can't draw, not even on the computer, not even when the tools are right effin' there to make the lines and the circles and crap. I have discovered I have difficulty perceiving proportions -- not that it matters so much in a Rage Comic. I'll try it again when I'm feeling particularly patient, because I'm not kidding about the not being able to draw thing. Ask me to draw, say, a bird, and you end up with something like this:

Told you. 

Sheer boredom is causing this. A.) I'm not employed yet, and B.) There isn't a lot for people with disabilities to do around here. Most of the time I get to choose between: take book to restaurant and read over dinner; take book to coffee shop and read over chai latte; take book to Veteran's Park and read behind monument. Y'all know I don't have problem one with the idea of reading, but come on. Woo. SO recreational.

I am thinking about asking the guy down at the karate studio if he will modify lessons for me, or let me join the Spinning class that meets for half an hour every Tuesday. I know I couldn't keep up, but I just want to ride the bike without having to pay the membership fee. I'm broke-ass, remember? So very much so, as a matter of fact, that I have started looking into freelance writing  gigs as a way to make my loan payments. There's a site called Odesk that freelances pretty much everything you can think of. The pay is pisswater: usually $1.25 an hour for a 30-hour-a-week gig, but a loan payment is a loan payment, yo. I've also considered putting up flyers around town advertising that I will edit papers, and record books for the blind or for car trips and such. I love to read aloud. But no one seems to agree on a price to set for these services. Should I charge per word, or per page for papers? And how much of a chance do I have of making this work when students can get their papers edited at the university, and people can get audiobooks at the library, both for free? Sigh.

In an effort to keep myself busy, aside from arts and crafts, I have an appointment next week with the lady at United Way to talk about volunteering. I'm trying to get into the PA Peer Support Coalition, and I signed myself up for a free Veteran's Administration-sponsored webinar in September to learn more about VA programs and laws and funding sources and such. I need to keep learning. I realized in the first couple weeks after graduation that it was the learning, the consistently having some new skill or challenge to master, that was keeping me from getting depressed. So between volunteering and learning Spanish and taking free classes wherever I can find them and beating the job market to see what falls out AND crafting/coloring, I *think* I can manage to keep myself sane. Time will tell, I reckon.