Creative Comfort

There won't always be the perfect choice in the store

I've had an IKEA Poang chair for 11 years. I love it because it supports my head. Unfortunately, after washing the cushion cover and stuffing the cushion back into it, the piping around the front of the cushion sticks right up into my legs. It’s fine some of the time, but definitely not when there's a 14-pound cat on my legs for long periods of time. The rest of the cushion is still very comfortable, but it is old and kind of dingy-looking.

I decided to replace it last week, so I went to IKEA and sat in the ones they had. One of them seemed comfortable except for the headrest part… it stuck out too far, which always seems to be the case from cars to planes. But I took a chance.

When I sat on the cushion at home, it seemed really firm. I'm hoping it will get a little more comfortable over time. But the headrest was particularly awful. So, I had to decide if I was going to totally forfeit ever getting my $84 back by cutting the protruding curve out of the headrest cushion.

I decided to go for it. I measured and marked 1.5” from the flat side all around the perimeter of the cushion. I started the cut on one end using a box cutter. Then I sawed back and forth with a serrated bread knife all the way down the foam, following my marks. It worked surprisingly well. Then the foam was the same thickness as the rest of the seat cushion.

It still wasn't perfectly comfortable on my neck, though, so I stuck a rolled-up towel in just the very bottom of the headrest area, and that felt better. Then I found a thin fleece blanket the vet had sent home with Libby once, and I folded it to the correct width, rolled it, and cut off the excess. I think that's going to work long-term, but I'm still open to playing with it a bit.

Libby has already claimed it as her own.

The part under my legs is WAY better now because there's no piping on this cushion, so I'm very happy about that. Plus, this one is dark grey, so it won't get as dirty. This cushion is a bit firmer than my old one, but I hope my big butt will soften it up.

Creative Cooking

I normally eat a small serving of pasta every day for lunch with a large side of vegetables. I maintained a steady weight on this diet for long periods of time, but I'm worried that times may be a-changing. When I was in Virginia, I ate more meat and zero pasta and lost about 5 pounds. This may be completely meaningless in the face of fluctuating hormones, but I thought I'd try an experiment with replacing the pasta with rice and beans, a food combo that is nutritious and filling.

One of the main improvements the rice and beans will bring is that I’ll use way less oil. Even though olive oil is technically good for you, I think I probably use too much, since I also use it almost every day to make popcorn.

I’ve been sifting through recipes that use different flavor combinations. If I can make a batch of rice and beans at the beginning of the week and then saute a vegetable to have it with each day, that might be a better replacement for the pasta.

I'm super lazy about lunch, so my goal is to find a single way to make rice and beans that I love to simplify this process. Here are some of the recipes I'm working from:

Ultimate Rice & Beans
Black Beans and Rice
Spanish Rice and Beans

I bought a bunch of spices last week to facilitate this process.

Normally, I only have garlic powder, cumin, and Cajun seasoning in my house.

I'm excited to put together a great recipe because, even if I don't eat it every day, it will be great to make regularly for other meals.

Give Yourself a Break

I got more migraines than usual in January. I know some of it is the stress of what's going on in the world. Reducing my stress can reduce my migraines, but I'm going easy on myself right now because there's a lot of big stuff going on in the world. I'm doing my best to be proactive, but you can only do so much. Reading Shock Doctrine is not helping me feel optimistic because this is a pattern of wealthy men getting to make all the important decisions in the world.

They don't make good ones. Or, I should say, they don't make decisions that are good for anyone but them.

The frustrating part… the part that gives me the migraines… is that they rarely ever pay for what they've done. Worse, they often live the rest of their lives as heroes to many people. (See: almost all men involved with Epstein.)

Anyway, I hope I get fewer migraines in February. It gets really discouraging.

Self-Employment Struggles

It’s really hard to be self-employed right now. I predicted years ago that eventually the online and social media spaces would be oversaturated with ads and promotions, and I was right. It’s hard to compete right now without being especially obnoxious with your marketing. And, I don’t want to be obnoxious with my marketing. In fact, I don’t want to market at all. I don’t want sales funnels. Or ad campaigns. Or to just constantly be promoting things. I don’t like that behavior directed at me, and I don’t want to direct it at others.

That kind of aggressive marketing is part of capitalism. It’s part of tricking or pestering people into buying what you’re selling, even if they don’t really want or need it. If someone wants what I’m selling, great! But some people are highly susceptible to suggestion, and I don’t want anyone to ever buy what I’m selling under pressure or have regrets afterward.

When I cannot get any more work without aggressive marketing, I don’t want to do what I do anymore. I’d rather work for someone else than have to immerse myself in the marketing rat race. It’s already so inauthentic and obtrusive.

I hope that day doesn’t come for me for a while, but it seems inevitable.

Last Class

My last class in the series of three to get a certificate in organizational change management from the University of Alberta has started. It’s a different teacher than the one who taught the other two, and he's not as good. Very bland and not organized. It's going to be a complete slog. I'm just going to suck it up and do my best. Fortunately, some of it is stuff I already learned in the other two classes.

⏰ Currently

🔌 Peeved about getting my largest electric bill ever in this apartment: $115. Darn that cold weather. AC is much cheaper to run.

🛏️ Bummed that my car bed platform was supposed to arrive on Friday, but now won’t until Monday.

❄️ Feeling grateful to have safety from the cold this weekend. Hoping all are safe and warm.