Monthly Archives: February 2009

Happy birthday to Crystal’s Adventures, a blog which is now 5 years old!

I rarely post here anymore, so I think I’d better give an update about what’s going on with me.

Biggest happenings of late:

• Clinton and I had been considering the idea of selling our house and moving to another one (in Durham, don’t worry). However, we recently came to our senses and are putting this off for another year. (See my blog post from Feb. 2 about “Phenomenumity”.)
• Since October 2008, I’ve taken time to give Sparkleize my full time attention. Jump-starting my own professional organizing business has been an amazing opportunity and a dream come true. Huge thanks is due to my loving and totally supportive husband without whom this dream could never have been realized.
• Today I accepted a full-time position back at Family Health International (FHI) which I’ll start at the end of March. I’ll be working in FHI’s Applied Research Division on a program in Africa to increase community-based access to injectable contraceptives. Go women! Go family planning!
• Sparkleize, now fully charged up, will continue on as a part-time job on evenings and weekends.
• Our dog Eli has fully recovered from the priapism he sustained earlier this week. After icepacks, morphine, steroid injections, lots of lube and a $264.57 payment to the emergency vet, his long-term boner finally subsided around 1:00 AM on Wednesday.
• This coming Saturday evening, I will proudly watch Clinton perform experimental ukulele music at Café ERUUF, our hippie church‘s quarterly talent show.

Have a great weekend, everybody.

I am deeply saddened that two of my favorite Durham eateries have shut down: OnlyBurger and Pizza Palace.

I haven’t been blogging as much as I’d like to. Strange how blogging seems a bit old fashioned to me now. I keep up on Twitter and Facebook much more these days.

Can you believe I am feeling guilty for taking today off from training? I just didn’t feel like today’s run. Just too much Sparkleize work to do, so I need to catch up! Also, I need a massage or acupuncture session ASAP!

I’m also catching up with housework from two straight weekends of hosting potlucks. WHEW! The next (and last) potluck at our house – at least for a while – is this coming Sunday, which is a Casserole and Stew Swapping Party. How it works: 15-20 people are all cooking a huge amount at their own homes, and then they bring it to my house so we can all taste the food and swap portions. Casseroles and stews are great for freezing and reheating on those days when you don’t feel like cooking.

Another thing I’m excited about: A Phenomenumity! What is that, you ask? Well, it’s a new idea that perhaps we have invented. The word is a blend (sort of) of the words phenomenon and community. Basically, it’s a bunch of people who all intentionally move to the same neighborhood and live within a couple blocks of one another. We set a community covenant and live in close collaboration – by sharing meals, pet care, child care, errands, vehicles, home projects, community garden, etc. A group of my friends is planning a Phenomenumity, and Clinton and I are looking at about a one-year timeline before we move. I’m so looking forward to it!

‘Til the next time I can catch my breath…