Thursday, November 05, 2009

Something

:: Found
Matt descended from the attic with these four yellowed pieces of paper in hand. We were both intrigued with the find. Our house is over 70 years old, and I often fantasize about finding some cool, vintage artifact up in the attic or buried out the yard. I love watching shows like Antiques Road Show and If Walls Could Talk. Houses have history, and I'm curious about mine. As I inspected the little remnants of newspaper advertising home rentals, I learned you could rent a home with linen service and close proximity to a bus stop for about $75/month. Not typical of our pricey, indoor laundry room, and 2 cars per household standard these days.

While the history lesson was momentarily fascinating, I realized these tattered pieces were probably used as insulation in the attic, and for all I know they were printed circa 1975 or something sooner, making them neither vintage nor cool. Just old paper.

:: To be found
All last weekend, this sugary beast sat on my counter top casting a spell on me. A butter cream iced, sugar-overload siren calling me to dig in. It was only towards the end of the weekend that I realized the irony that this cupcake sat right in front of my chalk board reminding me of my "weigh in". I'm taking a 7 week fitness and nutrition challenge. I've paid for it. I'm committed to finishing it. Yet I also really, really wanted this cupcake. Fortunately, I was able to overcome...only to be hit in the face daily by the mounds of Halloween candy still loitering about. Reese's cups are my nemesis.

I'm hoping this exercise challenge spurs motivation in other areas of my life as well. Motivation is for me like a moving target. I'm never sure where to find it, and just when I think I've found a healthy stride, there goes my motivation with one bad day or one week of feeling sick (like this very week). Along with setting fitness and nutrition goals, I'm incorporating career and home organization goals into the challenge. I figure if I can resist the butter cream, I can do almost anything.

6 comments:

Joc said...

Yes! Resist!

(speaking as one who also canNOT resist the Reese's cups...)

And a fresh Sangria will await you in a few short weeks. :)

Megan said...

I spent a good nerd hour trying to research when rent may have been around $75.00 in Jax. Not much out there, but after reading a little on avarage salaries, I'm going to guess (just guess) that your paper is probably from the 1950s. I'm not done looking though - I'll keep you posted!

Megan said...

P.S. I think it would be cool to frame and display them.

Alina said...

Megan...I love the nerdy, obsessive researcher in you! Thanks for the framing idea. I hadn't thought of that!

kate o. said...

our last house was built in the 20s and i kept trying to find cool things in random tucked away places...no luck!

but we did unearth horrible wall colors painted through the years. and at one point someone cut off a bottom chunk of all the old and beautiful original wood doors so that they could swing shut over shag carpet. nice.

Brooke said...

Good job resisting! I have failed at that this Halloween. Must regroup before the holidays hit!