DIY-shutters

Ok, so a while back, I found this photo on Pinterest:

Credit to http://dishfunctionaldesigns.blogspot.com/

After seeing this, I wanted to make my own "mail center" from a shutter. So, I started searching for a low cost shutter on Craigslist or garage sales. No luck, or at least nothing nearby on Craigslist, and no shutters at any of the garage sales I tried. I have to be honest...I didn't try very hard. I probably drove past 3 sales and got frustrated. Typically that's why I don't follow through on these kinds of projects...frustration. I was nearing the point of giving up on the whole concept when my Mom suggested that I look at the Habitat for Humanity ReStore in Newberg. I went, figuring I wouldn't find any and that would be the end of my shutter project. Wrong! Not only did the ReStore have a shutter, they had 2! They were priced as a set for $15! I had hoped to find one shutter for that price, so I bought them both.

This was probably in January. Possibly even before. I was so excited that I went out and bought sand paper, spray paint, and the hooks to nail onto the back so I could hang them on my wall. Of course, I live in Oregon, and whether it was January or not, it was rainy. My plan was to work on my project the first nice day I could be at my mom's house, since she so graciously allowed me to store my shutters and supplies in her garage.

I have been at my mom's house PLENTY of nice days since then, but today I actually followed through on the project! I didn't really feel like doing it initially, but as I was talking to my mom about it I knew I just needed to get it done. So, she helped me de-spider the shutters (I am terrified of spiders! Squeal-and-run terrified), and she was also kind enough to help me sand the shutters. Then she retreated inside and away from the spray paint.

Sanded and ready for paint!

After sanding, I sprayed on the primer. It took only a few minutes to spray one side, and the instructions said to wait 30 minutes before touching. So I waited the 30 minutes and then flipped the shutters over to spray the other side. I sprayed about half of one shutter with primer and ran out. Ugh. Fortunately, Mom had a can of primer leftover from a project she had done that she thoughtfully offered to me, so I was able to finish priming. Then I waited another 30 minutes.

Primed and drying...

I sprayed one side with the top coat, but I knew I would run out before I finished the other side, so mom and I ran over to Fred Meyer's to pick up a couple more cans. I'm not sure what made me buy 2 more cans, but thank goodness I did! One wouldn't have been enough. So, I was able to complete the project! I am proud of myself for finishing something like this. I usually don't. Maybe I can change that? Anyway, since my original plan was to make a "mail center" out of only one shutter, I was thinking about what to do with the second shutter. I have been trying to find a way to put more pictures up in my bedroom, so I am planning to use it to put some more pictures up. I put one shutter up on the wall behind the door as you enter my apartment. I figured that's a good place to put a "mail center", because I can deposit the mail into the shutter as I get home and any outgoing mail is easily accessible as I leave.

My new "mail center"!

I put the other shutter up above my bed. I am still trying to decide the best way to attach the pictures, since I don't want to rip all the paint off and when I put the photos into the gaps they fall down too far to really be seen AND they sit at an awkward angle. Hmm...I am thinking maybe some putty and stick them to the front? Another option I thought of was to punch holes in the photos and use twine (or other nice string or ribbon) to tie them onto the shutters. Any ideas? Ways I haven't thought of, or opinions on which method would look best or work best? I am DEFINITELY open to ideas on this...

Empty photo shutter.

I was also working on a little metal folding table for my balcony, but that's not quite done yet. If you look at the photo of the primed shutters, you can see it at the top. It was pink, but I am SO not a pink fan. I figured black was better for all uses. The last can of paint ran out before it was completely coated. Update on that soon! I'm planning to finish it the next time I'm at my mom's, which may not be for a while. I am going to Seattle on Friday with my sister. We're going to the Mariners vs. Angels game. I am SO excited, because it's my birthday and the Angels just happen to be playing the team closest to where I live. Could it be ANY better?! Saturday I am having a little birthday party. I say little because that's precisely what it will be. Not many people are coming. I am completely ok with that. My apartment's not big enough for tons of people anyway, and I like smaller groups. Sunday I may have time to go and finish it, but I am leaving for California next Monday. So honestly, I probably will spend the day on Sunday making sure I am packed, resting, and taking care of any details I may have forgotten before my trip. I promise, though, once I finish the table I will post an update and pictures! :)

By the way, an updated summer reading list and another review are on the agenda for tomorrow. I am too tired tonight (maybe because I did a project? Yay!). I'll try to post them tomorrow afternoon, because I am picking my sister up from the airport tomorrow evening and then I'll be busy spending time with her!

By the way, I am always a little self conscious about my blog posts when I don't get comments. I don't like to ask for comments because that feels silly, but there are people out there reading, yes? I know my most frequent readers are preoccupied (one is teaching abroad and the other is getting married in just a couple weeks!), so I probably just need to be patient with everyone! :)

A Year

So, I've been watching the show Ally McBeal. I remember vaguely when it was on, but it was definitely not something I would have watched at the time. Now, it's hilarious and entertaining.

Watching tonight, a quote struck me. One of the characters was telling another something his mom always told him: "If as you look back over the past year it doesn't bring you tears of joy or sadness, then consider it a year wasted."

I know that's just one person's opinion of how to measure a year, but in some ways it's a good way.

Or, there's always a year according to RENT:

In other news...Happy 4th of July! Independence Day always has various meanings for my family and I. It's an interesting day, but we aren't the traditional celebrators. Maybe I'll expand on this another time. Tonight's not the night.

Shopping as an introvert

For most of my life, I readily accepted the label of "extrovert". I didn't question it. However, since moving to a new state where I knew next to no one, I noticed a change in myself. I was less and less extroverted, and I couldn't figure out why.

I've thought about this quite a bit over the last few months, probably since January, actually. It had been on the back of my mind prior to that point. After trying to figure it out on my own and having very little, if any luck, I decided to look into things further with the Meiers-Briggs. I had taken the Meiers-Briggs before, and according to my results (big shock) was an extrovert. This time, however, my results showed that I am an introvert. So, that made me think a little more about myself and who I am, as well as how that may have changed over the past few years.

I grew up in one county for the first 18 years of my life, and when I did move away for college, I didn't stray far (30 minutes by car). I had always attended a Friends church, though each of the 3 I had attended was different from the others in many ways. I was involved in music from a young age all the way through college. I knew where I fit in this context. I was comfortable with who I was and who I was "expected" to be within this world. Being comfortable, it wasn't that hard for me to reach out to others and be friendly and talkative. I had no fear (or at least very little) when it came to talking to strangers and miscellaneous people in my small, non-diverse world.

Here's where it all changed: I moved out of my comfortable, small, non-diverse world. In February 2010, I moved from the greater LA area to rural, small town Oregon. By small town, I mean less than 3500 people live there. Don't get me wrong-the small town is a piggy-back town to a 20,000+ town. But it was very different from what I was used to in Orange County, CA or Long Beach, where my dad lives. I was also far, far away from all the friends I loved and was used to spending all my time with. I was also away from my church, and all the comforts it provided. (This is a separate story, though.) In nearly all aspects, life was different. Transition can be hard, and this transition was very hard on me. I was depressed and having a hard time acknowledging it. On top of that, I started to realize how hard it really is for me to reach outside of myself and connect with others. I struggled to find a job, and until I found a job I had no friends to spend time with. Even after finding a job, my interactions with my coworkers were pretty much only at work. It was better to have some contact than none, but I was still most comfortable going home and "doing my own thing". I knew things would change when I started school full time in June-they just HAD to.

Well, they definitely changed. I spent a lot more time away from home, but not truly socializing. Some of my classmates were really great at reaching out to other people, and they made me feel more comfortable. However, looking back on the whole program, I only have a few friends from school that I would consider lasting friends. We aren't even all that close. More like, we meet up once every few months to catch up. It's better than nothing, but they aren't part of my daily life. Anyway, back to 2010. I was attending church with my mom, where there were hardly any people near my age. There were a few, but I only knew one of them, and she was also part of my program at George Fox. I don't know why we didn't get closer than we were. Maybe I didn't try hard enough, or she didn't? Or neither of us. I have no clue. She was very sweet, and we have occasionally gone to coffee. The point is, church was not what I was used to. Much of that is due to the "cultural" differences between Orange County, CA and Yamhill County, OR. Or even Portland, OR for that matter. There's definitely a different mindset up here.

While I was in the MAT at George Fox, though, I also played in the handbell choir. That was something I was comfortable with. I had also joined the community band in Newberg, and was playing bells at 2 local churches. This was the ONE area I had any control over, and it felt good to be a part of music groups. The two handbell choirs at the churches and the community band were not real opportunities to meet people my own age. I enjoyed them nonetheless. I was engaging in something I wanted to be a part of, which was kind of a big step for me. The Fox bell choir was different. The other members were in college. Sure, I was a year or two older (or at least ahead of them in school), but they were close to my age and we had something in common. I really enjoyed being a part of that group, and I met 3 friends through that group. Well, more than 3, but 3 that I really spent any amount of time with.

Somehow, though, I've "changed" from an extrovert to an introvert by being in Oregon, or at least through the experiences I've had here. This made me really dig deep and try to analyze myself. I believe I am walking the fence between the two, and what causes me to go one way or another is how comfortable I am in a certain area. When putting myself out there is easier, or I expect a positive reaction to just being me, I am more extroverted. I enjoy spending time with people I am comfortable with, or at least in a setting where I am comfortable. However, in new settings, or settings I am not as comfortable with, I turn introverted. It takes way more energy than I like to expend to interact with others. It's very interesting. I can sometimes turn it on and off, or it seems so. I can "choose" to be extroverted or introverted. I know that's not entirely true. And honestly, I think I am more introverted than extroverted, because no matter how much time I spend with others, I am always wanting to come home and be by myself. I think that's why I love living alone so much. I can have as much space as I want.

So, now that I've explained myself? HA. Here's the reason for all this back story...

Yesterday, I was waiting for my mom to get to Bridgeport. To kill time, I went into one of my favorite stores-Paper Source. They have amazing paper goods, and also a ton of random items...Star Wars, Jane Austen, random inspirational quotes, funny joke books and items, etc. Basically, for someone with a quirky sense of humor that leans to the dorky side, it's a blast. I walked in, and it was nearly empty. One of the employees greeted me, and I went about my business. Then she started talking to me. I didn't want to be rude, so I responded. Mistake. She KEPT talking to me. I just kept thinking to myself, "Go away!!!" I wanted to browse in peace, but she kept pointing me to items she just loved, and trying to engage me in conversation. At one point, she even said, "Oh let me show you something!" and motioned for me to follow her. No, thanks. I should've said that. Ugh.

Anyway, it was painful in multiple ways. Praise the Lord my mom called me and got me out of there. =)

Movies

I do not usually go to the movies. This is probably due to a high numberof factors, the biggest (first?) being a lack of social life. I have few friends to go to the movies with. This is completely fine with me.

However, over the last few days, I have gone to see TWO movies. One would have been amazing on its own, but TWO?! Now, don't get me wrong. I enjoy going to the movies. It's fun to go and see what's coming out and enjoy a movie, especially during the summer months when my apartment is absolutely unbearable when heat is considered. I guess it's just a huge shock to my system when I see two movies in the span of two days.

So, I saw White House Down and The Heat. Both were really good! For those of you who do not appreciate foul language, I would recommend avoiding both. There is an awful lot of language in these films. To be honest, both films surprised me. First of all, with Channing Tatum and Jamie Foxx in White House Down, I expected humor and lots of it. I knew going in that it was a serious movie, but I had a hard time imagining a serious film from those two actors together. Maybe that's my fault for watching the song performance they did together for SNL. It was completely hilarious (and inappropriate, which might have contributed to why I found it hilarious). No matter the reason, I went in a little unsure of the serious nature of the film. Let me tell you, I was blown away. They were incredible. The story itself was well done, but both actors (as well as others in the film) were fantastic. Serious is NOT a problem for these guys! Second was The Heat. Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy were great in this film. It was a comedy, but there were some serious moments. Bullock plays a serious FBI agent who tries to do everything properly and never swears. She wears suits and basically has a (excuse the expression) stick up her ass. McCarthy is the exact opposite. She is a low-life Boston police officer. Nothing she does is ever according to rules. She messes with te drug dealers and other low-lifes she is after to get information from them. She dresses poorly, and I don't just mean unfashionably. It's completely sloppy and low class. She is vulgar and disgusting in many ways. Now, pair these two up on a case. They have to work together, which is hilarious as anything I have ever seen.

Now, I am by no means qualified to tell you that movies are Oscar worthy, or critics love them. Well, you can probably find out how the critics feel about these movies with a quick google search. I personally don't judge movies on the critics' perspective. I thought both movies were good. In fact, if going to the movies wasn't so expensive, I might go back and see them both in theaters again. And since I rarely go to the theater, I hope you understand how big that compliment is to these movies.

Just my two cents. :)