Monthly Archives: December 2008

What to do

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What do you do when you don’t know what to do?

Something? Anything? Just so you can get somewhere … so you can at least find out what you don’t want to do. I know I want to make money to make life easier and to feel secure about things and not have to move back in with my mom. I just don’t know how to do that and keep Will by my side. Is there anyone who will hire me with a baby in tow? Will will not take a bottle anymore which makes things more challenging.

Well, I was working on the hair accessories thing again. I don’t have all the supplies I need to do what I was doing before. There is a lot of stuff I used for that. So I got a few supplies and tried a variation on what I was successful with before but this new variation I have found unsatisfactory. I feel stuck. I feel worried. I feel tired.

$ making ideas:
- Try hair accessories thing again, differently.
- Make baby hats (at least one for Will to keep his almost hairless noggin warm).
- Apply to a nanny company.
- Work somewhere on evenings and weekends when Billy can watch Will: Starbucks, property management company, teach dance class, catering gig.

I have a feeling that I just need to relax, take a step back and try again or try something different.

Mostly I need to trust.

I will survive… I will do more than that… I will live well. I will have plenty left over to give to others who need help. That would be satisfying.

Universe, I am your conduit.

Christmas with Shipp Parrott Shipp

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Its Will’s first Christmas!!

Billy, Will and I have been up to some good holiday adventuring and cooking this year. These have been our wonderful gifts this year.

As I type our Christmas dinner is cooking in the oven: Baked Chicken and Scalloped Potatoes. We just polished of an amazing, yet simple, salad with red lettuce, arugula, and mixed baby greens with a olive oil, salt, lemon dressing. Mmmm. So good.

Last night for Christmas Eve we cooked up half a turkey breast, mashed potatoes, corn, cranberry sauce. I had to have the corn because it is a tradition in my family. We love our corn! Mom had to make sure to make lots and lots because we hate to run out (especially my brother Lenny and me). I liked the cranberry sauce because of the whole cranberries in there. Usually I only have a tiny tiny taste just because it is a Christmas thing others seem to like.

I am really missing my family this year. I love being at my moms house and hearing and smelling her cooking. I love her cozy home she sets and the tree she decorates. I love how much she loves to make a warm and cozy home with the right lighting and music. I feel so loved and nurtured there.

Even though we are far from home and not doing all the things you would expect for the Christmas holiday, I feel happy and blessed because I have a beautiful little family with me here: Billy and Will.
The cooking helps a lot. Food is such a wonderful comfort and social and sustaining.

We aren’t giving gifts this year because of the financial state of things. I haven’t yet posted about the latest adventure we are on… but basically our home flooded and we had to move out a.s.a.p. That was about a month ago. We hope repairs will be done by mid-February… we shall see. Anyway, we are making the best of it.

Happy holidays to you! Here is a little video Billy and I shot and Billy edited. Our gift to you this holiday, enjoy!

love,
~Billy, Christine, & Will (Shipp Parrott Shipp)


Holiday MMVIII from Billy Shipp on Vimeo.

Rained out of our loft

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Another fire alarm went off in our loft building on Saturday night. I was irritated. Not again. The last two were false alarms. One was due do a burned bagel in a neighbors toaster… they had opened their front door to air out their space and it set off the fire alarm but not the sprinklers. The second one I was told was due to someone dusting. Wow, they must be the Munsters. Dust? Oh my.

But this one, oh this one, Saturday night was a real disaster. But it wasn’t a fire… it was a faulty sprinkler head that was actually replaced two weeks ago in a sprinkler overhaul that was done on the entire building. Apparently some sprinkler heads in some of the units needed to be replaced for some reason. Well, that backfired.

So, while on the curb waiting for the firefighters to inspect the building I heard from one neighbor what had happened. I felt bad for the poor person that had their home sprinkled on. But the sprinkling went on for hours. I don’t know why but it took them a long time to turn off the sprinkler. Twenty units were affected. Many had to move out. We were one of the many families that had to evacuate.

So, long story short we are in a hotel at the tune of $85 a night out-of-pocket. I spent two days figuring out what to take with us while taking care of Will and being asked a million questions by the packers, investigators, inspectors, neighbors. My sinuses went crazy due to mold and dust from the demolition taking place. They wanted our stuff out asap so they could dry the structure and get to hacking it up so they could replace all the wet stuff.

Our mattress got rained on as well as bills, documents and other stuff. All in all it could have been worse but its bad enough. So we are homeless for 4-6 weeks. I am looking for a place to sublet because its cheaper than this somewhat skanky hotel. Again, it could be worse.

I am grateful that my family is ok and that no one was hurt physically. Well, except one of the workers on the packing crew who twisted their ankle on some steps. (I feel like I will miss a step or fall down ours sometimes too.)

I am so exhausted that driving around today I almost hit a pedestrian in the same way that I was hit in 2001. My heart nearly stopped.

So my plan to do the hair adornments to give pleasure to the wearer and some green to my pocket book is on hold. That stuff got packed away and now lives in a storage vault in Hayward.

Here I am on my newest adventure. Wish me luck.