Does This Thing Belong to Bane?

Recently, a couple of people have brought things to me and asked, "Does this belong to you?" And another time, a person said, "I knew it was yours because of the bats."  :)

It's pretty easy to tell if a thing belongs to me...

Goths and Depression

The recent Lancet Psychiatry article on teenage goths and depression has prompted many responses, including an article in The Guardian and posts from fellow bloggers on blogs such as The Everyday Goth and Domesticated.

Here are a few of my thoughts...

(Firstly, I'll assert that it's easy to draw incorrect conclusions from statistical data. For example: 82% of people killed by lightning are men. One might conclude that lightning targets men or that women have a higher survival rate.)

I don't like the study's definition or context of goth. Essentially, it said goths are a group who rebel against the norm or attempt not to conform... as if the Goth group were a subset of the Rebel group. Do some teens "go goth" simply as a way to rebel? Yes. But I wouldn't say they're goths. I'd say they are rebels, and goth is their chosen mechanism of rebellion (and is probably just a phase). But many go goth because they're drawn to the music, the fashion, the art, and/or the culture. For many, goth is about finding a place that feels comfortable, not about rebellion.

I wonder what controls, if any, the study used for intelligence. Other studies have shown that smarter people are more likely to suffer mental illness. Maybe smart people are more likely to identify with goth than with sporty or chav or skater, and any apparent correlation with depression is actually related to intelligence, not choice of subculture.

Maybe teens choose goth because it appeals to them... but then they're bullied for being goth, and the bullying leads to depression.

There are a lot of maybes.

As for my own experience with goth and depression...

I didn't know about goth until I was an adult. But I was depressed practically since birth.

My teen years were excruciating. I did not rebel or strive for nonconformity. Quite the reverse; I followed the rules and tried to be inconspicuous. Under the strict dress code of Catholic school, I looked like everyone else. Even so, other teens judged me as different. I was picked on and bullied.

I first got treatment for depression at age 21. I slowly began to peek out of my shell, and at age 22, I heard about this thing called "goth." I looked into it and had an immediate sense of connection. I felt comfortable in the goth community. For the first time in my life, I didn't feel weird or freakish or rejected.

For me, depression and goth are correlated -- but it's an inverse correlation. When I'm more depressed, I'm less interested in goth music or fashion. When I'm more actively goth (crafting, sewing and DIYing in goth style, following goth blogs, listening to goth music), I am happier.

Identifying with the goth community has been an overwhelmingly positive experience for me. I imagine there are others who feel the same.

Less Dismal

I am happy to report that the bathroom cabinet project is looking less dismal.

Only a couple of hours after emailing Amazon customer service about my missing package, I got a response apologizing that they couldn't replace the items because there were none left in stock. They had issued a refund and gave me a link to another seller who had the items. Good job, Amazon. This is why I love you. :)

Then it was off to Sherwin Williams to test the love from their customer service. Cabinet door in hand, I showed the clerk the terrible finish resulting from the paint and roller that had been recommended to me. He confirmed that the ProClassic I'd originally asked about could not be tinted to black, so I looked at options for dark grey instead. Then I talked to another clerk who had recently painted a crib using ProClassic satin and a mohair roller with excellent results. Unbeknownst to me, the first clerk was already mixing the paint... in semi-gloss instead of satin. Ugh. A paint store is not a fast food drive-through where every customer has to be served in two minutes or less. Can I please have five minutes to try to make the right choice, lest I set myself up to waste another two or three hours sanding and repainting?

Ultimately, I decided to keep the semi-gloss as it might be a bit more durable for the frequent use and cleaning the cabinet will endure in a bathroom. The clerk gave me the paint at no charge. Not Amazon-level love, but quite acceptable.

Then I went to the grocery store. Though my purchase was almost exclusively vegetables and fruits, I did also buy spaghetti noodles and a frozen pizza. This apparently prompted the 50-ish female clerk to ask me, "How many kids do you have?" I replied very matter-of-factly, "None. I just eat like a 10-year-old." She was embarrassed. I thought it was hilarious. :D I snickered all the way out to the car.

When I got home, I discovered my missing package from Amazon sitting next to the garage door. O.o Maybe it was delivered to a neighbor by mistake, and it took them three days to bring it over? I emailed back to Amazon customer service so they can cancel the refund or charge my card again.

Then I hauled the cabinet down to the basement and spent an hour sanding it. I hate sanding... so afterwards, I consoled myself by eating the pizza. ;)

Now it's time for the second attempt at painting the cabinet...

Dismal Failure is Looming

So... you remember that bathroom cabinet project I mentioned? The one that had an excellent chance of ending up a dismal failure?

Well, it got off to a good start with a partial assembly of the cabinet. Easy.

The piece on the table is upside down.

Step two: Primer. I had selected a primer that will stick to glossy surfaces and asked the clerk to tint the primer to go under black paint. The result was a light grey-almost-lavender color. I was expecting dark grey... but okay, I like purple. I'll give it a go.

The primer rolled on smoothly and easily with a foam roller.

Step three: Paint. I had researched the best paint for furniture and found many rave reviews of Sherwin Williams ProClassic. Wanting a very smooth, durable finish for my bathroom cabinet, I made a special trip to Sherwin Williams. The clerk told me that ProClassic cannot be tinted to dark colors and recommended All Surface Enamel. He also recommended a particular type of roller and said it would give me a very smooth finish.

Wrong. Very wrong.

The paint finish looks HORRIBLE. It was not user error. I am not a novice at painting. I've achieved good results many times with a $2 roller and Behr paint that cost half as much as Sherwin Williams. It was either the paint or the roller, or a combination of the two. The only solution is to sand the painted surfaces and start over. I hate sanding. HATE it!

I will be taking a cabinet door to Sherwin Williams and having a discussion with the manager.

Step four: Add trim pieces. I ordered some trim from Amazon. The tracking information states that the package was delivered Monday, but I haven't received it. :( I have ordered from Amazon numerous times, and I have never had a package go missing.

I hoped that making a claim with Amazon would be easy since I'm a Prime member... but I got an email response stating "We're unable to create a replacement. Please contact customer service."

Ugh.

I keep reminding myself that the most critical factor to home improvement success is tenacious determination. :P

An IKEA Wardrobe Makes a Great Office

My IKEA wardrobe held my television, speakers, and other electronic paraphernalia for a while. I loved the tidy look of having everything tucked away behind doors.

However, in practice, the doors were rarely closed because I am almost always listening to music. I decided that the wardrobe might serve better as an office armoire.

As it turns out, an IKEA wardrobe makes a great office because it's deep enough to hold an actual desk. Putting the desk inside the wardrobe makes it sit a few inches higher, a wonderful bonus for me as normal desks are always too low for my tall self. My printer and shredder fit neatly under the desk, while the slide-out tray makes using the keyboard and mouse easy.

On the desk is a decoupaged tissue box raising a lamp with lace-bedecked shade to proper height. The top shelf holds decoupaged boxes.

Drawings of a vintage typewriter and vintage scissors serve as artwork.

The purple flower (with black lace and ribbon added by me) is actually a tape dispenser. :D

I'm so pleased with the result! I can work very comfortably at the desk. When I'm done working, I can simply push in the keyboard tray and close the doors. The wardrobe looks nice in the corner of my living room.

Daily Sun: June 29-30

On June 29, I prepared to spend a day in the sun. This consisted of 20% gathering and packing up my supplies and 80% wondering "What was I thinking when I volunteered for this?!"

On June 30, I spent six hours outside on a cloudless, hot day. The temperature climbed to about 92F/33C. While 92F is certainly not the worst heat I've ever experienced, the Colorado sunshine is intense. The power of the Daystar is greatly magnified at a mile above sea level.

What could possibly lead me to spend six hours under the Burning Orb? It was a work event. Called the Amazing Survivor Minute, it was a day of challenges similar to Amazing Race, Survivor, and Minute to Win It. I had volunteered to help, so I played the role of game show host, leading two of the teams through the series of challenges. Being a host rather than a player was good for me as I am neither athletic nor competitive. :)

We began the day by using random selection to group people into 10 teams. Each team then chose a name and created a team flag.  The Ninja Neers later won the Best Flag vote.

Then the teams spent about 2.5 hours making their way through the 10 challenges. In Run Mat, the team all stood inside a loop of plastic mat and walked it down the field, sort of like a tank tread. One difficulty here is that you can't see where you're going. One of my teams veered off course, flattening another team's flag and trampling someone's straw hat. :P

In Paper Dragon, each person held a roll of crepe paper streamer in each hand. The goal was to unwind the streamers as fast as possible. My teams' technique was to throw the rolls and then run like mad down the field with the streamers flying behind them. :)

In the Wet Head challenge, one team member launched water balloons toward the others, who had to catch the balloons in a colanders held on their heads. A bursting balloon scored for your team and also provided a refreshing splash of water on your head.

After all the teams had completed the challenges, we stopped for lunch under the tents. Then it was on to the final challenge. Everyone gathered near the shore of the reservoir. Each team was given a set of materials and required to build a raft/flotation device that would hold two people. (A perfect challenge for the Research & Development department, heavily populated with engineers.)

The raft had to be carried to the water, and two people had to paddle/ride it to a certain point in the reservoir...

and back. The first team back was the winner.

And of course, there was a dunking booth. Because what work event is complete without an opportunity to dunk your boss? :D

Despite the heat and intense sun, it was a super fun day. I had a blast. I did not get sunburned or tanned in the slightest thanks to a sun hat, a long-sleeve shirt, and lots of SPF 50.

Nothing Done: June 27-28

On June 27 and 28, I got virtually nothing done. I felt tired and melancholy, though I don't really know why. So the weekend was a disappointing waste of time. :(

June 30 was quite different. I spent more than six hours outdoors in the sun. Voluntarily. :o What could possibly entice this heliophobe to spend so much time in the presence of the Daystar? Details coming soon...