A Thing, Plus Some Other Things.

This is when I remind you that Three on the Third is coming around again! If you didn't know (gasp!) or forgot (gasp!), Three on the Third is when you draw three comics about your life on the third day of the month. It is not very hard and it is a lot of fun. April 3rd will be the second Three on the Third; you can see the comics from the first one here. Note that artistic ability is not a requirement. Do it! Do it.

I keep meaning to blog about things besides that thing, and now that I am finally blogging I have no excuse not to. So here are some other things:

Dryer report: I took it to the repair shop and they said, "There's nothing wrong with it! Check your exterior vent." So I replaced my ancient exterior vent, which was exasperating because I am not very good at that kind of thing. But after all that, my dryer still smells like burning. I don't know what's up with that, but it makes me nervous.

Discardia report: I have already discarded a substantial list of things, if not a particularly impressive volume of things. Perhaps my most impressive feat was to pass off an old computer, a hefty bag of peripherals, and two large boxes of software to my parents. They did the same to me several years ago ("Here, you have a house now, want these?"), so I am just returning the favor ("Here, you added on to your house, want these back?"). We all want this stuff (mostly old favorite games) to remain within reach; we just don't know where to put it all. Well, no tagbacks, Parents!

This week, I will clean out the fridge the night before trash day, and hhw and I will venture to a Hazardous Waste Disposal Facility to get rid of old batteries and fluorescent bulbs and maybe a little asbestos. Saturday the 5th is the last day of Discardia. The idea is not to buy or bring anything into your home on that day. I'm curious to see how that will go. Should I put a "no thank you" sign over my mail slot?

Job report (current): My part-time work for my jewelry-making cousin continues to buy the groceries, but hasn't made much of a dent in the bills. However, continued persistence with an unresponsive temp agency has finally landed me a few days of clerical work. I am fervently hoping this marks the end of the long dry spell of underemployment.

Job report (future): Summer plans are finally looking definite enough to blog about: I have two cousins (other side of the family) who run a fishing charter on Maui, and they're hiring me on as crew June through August. It's not sailing, but it's fun work for good money, and I'm extremely excited about it. In case you're wondering if this job will be anything like my last boat job, the answer is no, they are pretty much opposite in every way.

And in case you're wondering if all six of my first cousins are outrageously talented, attractive, generous, intelligent, fun, and useful to know, the answer is yes. (As my sister once said: "I hope we're not a disappointment to them.")

The Other Holiday Season.

Man, the holidays, they can really wear you out.

March 14: Pi Day
I ate a pear-almond tart, because I didn't want that ate-a-whole-pie feeling.
March 15: The Ides
I bewared to the best of my ability. Did not get assassinated.
March 16: "The Controversial Latvian Legion Day" (Wikipedia)
I observed a hiatus from celebrating.
March 17: St. Patrick's Day
I avoided going downtown.
March 18: Flag Day (Aruba)
I did my taxes.
March 19: Discardia begins
I sent a book away in the mail, and made plans for the further disposal of unwanted items.

A word or two about Discardia: It is a festival of casting aside. It is a quarterly sloughing off of the unnecessary. It is such a very good idea. If you have too much stuff, I encourage you to celebrate Discardia with me. This season it is two and a half weeks long! Just think how much stuff you can get rid of in two and a half weeks.

If you do not have too much stuff, do you want some of mine?

Three on the Third Roundup!

Hey, how was your March 3rd? Mine was pretty terrible, but I got some good comics out of it. No suffering is wasted if it's transmogrified into ART, right?

Page 1 (#1, #2) * Page 2 (more #2) * Page 3 (still more #2) * Page 4 (end of #2, #3)

Riiiight. Anyway, I am thrilled by how many other people participated in The Inaugural Three on the Third Challenge by making three journal comics on the third day of the (third!) month. The other entries I've seen so far are fantastic! I will update this post with links as more appear online.

Ashley * Sanguinity * Upsidedown Cat * Alissa * Patchwork * Grrlpup

You guys! You are so cool.