the tao of jaklumen

I apologize for the poor quality of the last two photos.

New spice rack project (before)

Spice rack after

Spice rack finished

If you could only drink one beverage for the rest of your life (not including water), which one would you choose?

Realistically, I'd be sick of any one beverage for the rest of my life, but I think I'll choose peppermint herbal tea, which is nice hot or chilled.

jaklumen added an entry about get rid of all my clutter:

I am reusing containers that have been cleaned—plastic, glass, whatever, and putting food stuffs into them. It is for these following reasons:

1. I buy a lot in bulk, and therefore don’t have a container
2. I can put food in a huge container into a smaller container if the former is not full.

EDIT UPDATE: The pantry is looking quite nice now.

jaklumen added an entry about lose weight / get in shape:

The weight loss is noticeable enough that people I have spoken to recently have said so.

Will you be giving out candy to trick or treaters this year? If so, what goodies can the ghosts and goblins expect to bring home?

Probably not.  Our funds are running dangerously low and we just haven't had the means to buy any.

There's a chill in the air. Show us your favorite coat.
Submitted by jacolily.

I have quite a few favorites, but don't have pictures for all of them.  So here's a recap of the wonderful greatcoat JennTheAmazon made for my Uncle Fester costume, from Halloween 2008.

Jak as Uncle Fester

Have you ever had a premonition? Did you heed it?
Submitted by aynge.

Yes and yes.  Not really going to go into too much detail unless asked since this involves spirituality/religion, and some folks can get stressed and aggressive about the topic.

So here's how yesterday went, in short order:

1. No morning paper, even after we both called like 3 times.
2. Walked Princess (my daughter) to the school bus stop.
   
3. Physiotherapist came and visited-- helped me to correctly sit on our low couch and to get in and out of our Honda Civic safely.  She told me that I still needed to walk more-- so every 15-30 mins, I have to stop whatever I'm doing here on the computer and take a short walk.  I got swelling in my feet from standing too long.
4. Princess Thunderstorm (Cimmy) got to take most of my staples out at the post-op appointment.  Sorry, I don't have any souvenir pictures-- my son spilled some of them on the floor.  (He was quite happy to be out and running around.)  No more bandages-- the ANRP wants the wounds to breathe and air out.  He gave Cimmy some iodine swabs to keep them clean.  No soaking (i.e., no pool time at the gym) until the 8th week, or about December.  That's OK, I suppose-- maybe I can get a new swimsuit for Christmas.
5. Visited City Hall to visit some friends I used to work for.  It involved steps, but I had been taught to step safely by the PT as well.
6. Stopped at the grocery store on the way home for a pumpkin and some ingredients for lunch.  Jonagold apples were on sale, so I got a few since it was so close to lunchtime.  Made a very nice soba noodle salad when we got home.  My son had fallen asleep but he woke up quickly.  Cimmy said she thought it was because the rain woke him up.
7. After my daughter got home, we went out to fly kites as the wind was good.  Brought some soup I had been cooking in the slow cooker.  Cimmy actually joined in for a bit, which she doesn't often do, and despite some frustrations getting her diamond kite to stay aloft.  The winds were changing direction a lot.  After flying the Nexus, everyone said they were cold, and the sun was setting, so we went home.  Everyone ate some of the soup I made-- it really did turn out good.
8. We had Family Home Evening and talked about showing love by action.  Then Cimmy and I helped Princess write letters to her Nana and Pop and to her great-grandparents.  These were pictures created for the project:
   
   
   One is tracings of all the right hands of our family, and the other is tracings of all our right feet.
9. Wished my uncle (Dad's younger brother) a happy birthday.  Maybe he'll see it.
10. After family scripture study and prayer, I crashed and went to sleep-- but only for five hours.  Gah.
    

Have you ever returned an item to a store for a refund after having used it?

Ah, another one of those morality questions, designed to measure your honesty.  Look, I spent some time working in retail, so I will share my perspective after quickly telling my story.

Princess Thunderstorm (Cimmy) and I went to visit a friend in Vancouver, WA (suburb of Portland, OR).  My son was very young at the time and he needed a playpen to sleep in.  We could not fit ours in the car.  Our friend helped us out by purchasing one at a local Wal-Mart and when we left, we gave it back to her so she could return it.  We used it for just one night and so there was not significant wear and tear.

She works in retail (or at the time, she did), and I have worked in retail, too.  This is how I see it:

1. Ideally, a return should be when something doesn't fit, isn't the right color, etc. but is unused.  I think, however, that some flexibility should be granted when the item has been used very little and the product is still in excellent shape.  Stores process these items accordingly-- they do not always put them right back on the regular shelves.
2. Saving receipts is a must, or allow the store to retain a little information about you-- say, if you have a credit/debit card, have a membership card, or whatever.  This helps them cut down on fraud by tracking the purchase.
3. There is a point of no return.  Generally, I like to buy clothes at a brick and mortar store.  If I have to order online, I have found that I should have precise measurements so I get the right size the first time.  Of course, if you have sweat, bled, or otherwise expelled bodily wastes on it, forget it.  If you have broken it-- forget it.
4. There are folkways against regifting and there is a certain ingratitude seen in item returns/exchanges at the holidays, but there are times when it is appropriate to loan, or donate and there are organizations to help with that.  Look into thrift shops, service organizations, Freecycle, Craigslist, Amazon Marketplace, eBay, or see if someone you know can use it.  I have, and have been thanked for it, too.  Look to those places as well if you need an item, but not for very look.  The Knights of Columbus loaned me a walker and a wheelchair after my back surgery, asking simply that I let them know when they could reclaim them for someone else in need to use.
5. Not to slam Chinese manufacturing, but because shipping overseas is so expensive, it's better to buy something used that you know is of solid construction rather than something cheap that will break.  I remember buying an Osterizer blender because it was a brand my mother trusted and I knew I could always get parts for it.  I use it as a blender and a food processor.  Although the original processor attachment bit the dust, I found other parts that would do the job.
6. I follow the Owner's Manifesto and Repair Manifesto and fix items rather than buy again.

The Repair Manifesto