for your monday entertainment

here is a list of 7 random thoughts and ramblings to entertain you on this monday...

what, you were expecting more beach pictures?

1. I painted a chevron wall in my office this weekend. and because all the paint is in Chinese and I opted for the large $5 can over the small $12 can I accidentally used not interior paint. but hey, it was $5. and I really love the way it turned out, even if the paint is kinda shiny. Husband likes it too... he suggests we paint a wall like this in our house someday and get an animal mount. he's picturing a moose, but I'm having visions of this. for now... this wall is just going to stay chevron. and become my new taking-photos-in-front-of spot. I'm not going to do a true DIY post on it because a: I followed a mixture of this tutorial and this tutorial and b: I was a bad blogger and didn't document it all step by step. but you know... sometimes what's bad for the blog is good for life.

2. last fall after the scooter crash, my yoga instructor gave me a bottle of traditional chinese medicinal oil to rub on my bad knee. I stopped using it when I realized it contained turpentine oil [and was taking off my nailpolish] probably not at a harmful level, but still. in the course of painting the chevron wall this weekend, I ended up with paint all over my hands [and a little on my feet.] the first indication I had that this was not your typical latex interior paint was the fact that I could. not. wash it off. thankfully I remembered the little bottle of oil, and it worked like a charm to remove the paint.

3. I've always had this constant inner dialogue with myself and life just makes more sense when I give it an outlet onto paper or a keyboard. I've had some form of blog for nearly 12 years [anyone remember livejournal?] and I kept paper journals before and in between. when I was in college I had a secret spot on campus where I used to go and write. I'd pour my heart out and then tear up the pages and throw them away when I left for class. in fact, most of what I've written in my life has ended up in a landfill, electronic or otherwise. I pitched all my childhood journals, and deactivated more blogs that I remember.

anyway, I've been thinking of maybe writing something a little more permanent. a book maybe.

4. since coming back from vacation, wine has been my drink of choice. there's a whole lot of debate over whether grain liquor is gluten-free or not, but my go-to mixer liquor [vodka] has started giving me splitting headaches. scotch is still safe for me, thank you, but I'm starting to think it's because we drink the good stuff made from single or blended malt. most tequilas are safe, but seems excessive when everyone else is having a beer. and so: wine. [thank you Costco for carrying a few decent bottles under 200NT.]

5. I took an unintentional internet hiatus this weekend. I didn't even turn my computer on friday or saturday. I'm not as attached/obsessed/addicted to checking social media as I used to be [no more smartphone] but gosh it feels good to disconnect. sometimes I really don't like facebook. and often wish I could deactivate it again. sadly, it's my main and sometimes only method of contacting a lot of people. so... it stays.

6. I've been having a lot of deja vu lately. things that I've dreamed coming true. does that happen to anyone else? I'll walk into a store, or look at something, or hear someone say something and just get that warm dizzy I've-experienced-this-moment-before feeling. the strangest part is that most of these moments I dreamed before I moved to Taiwan. I clearly remember dreaming them and thinking "when on earth would I be in a place like that?" I don't think this means I'm psychic or anything, but sometimes it's freaky. although sometimes it's awesome... two years ago I dreamed one of my coworkers had a son [she was looking into adoption at the time and I didn't know it], and I just found out she's due to have a baby boy in a few weeks!

7. it still astounds me how completely unexpected Taiwan is. I thought I was prepared to move here, but the longer I am here the more I realize I didn't have a clue. I packed 2 year's worth of chapstick... they sell my brand up the street. I assumed I could find things here like plain tank tops and tees... not that fit my curves. I've found gluten free pasta and flour mix in 4 different stores, and diet coke in only one. butter is everywhere but we can't track down a food processor. I had no idea how westernized this place would be, and I'm continually surprised by what we find [or don't find] here. there are some disappointments... but usually it's a pleasant surprise - I don't have to buy a new razor after all, yes we can make a gluten free pie for pi day, root beer floats are a short walk away.