Last week of night shifts!

Tomorrow night will be the last night that Lover has to work night shifts! I will be some happy when that is over! Night shifts bring out the worse in people. They don't get a good sleep during the day, their bodies are all out of whack, and when the weekend come, their bodies are still on the night schedule so they still end up staying up all night and sleeping all day. It makes Lover very cranky, and as a result the whole house is cranky. It's just not natural. So I will be very happy when this is all over with and we can get back to a "normal" life. (what's that anyways?)

Once he is done with the night shifts, then its back to the unemployment line. He might take a few weeks off, then hit the resume road. He is looking for anything that pays decent money, which will probably mean camp job up away. That's ok with me, just as long as it's not forever. The summer would be fine, especially if he can make some good money in a short period of time. It would be nice not worrying about money for a little while, but I would really miss him. And Bubby would too. As much as I complain about the night shifts, it has been kinda nice that Lover is able to pick up Bubby early from daycare and he get's to spend some quality daddy time with his son. That won't happen if he goes away to camp. But that's the price you have to pay sometimes. Can't have it all.

As for me, who knows what I am doing! I enjoy my job, but sometimes I feel I would be better suited doing something different. We'll see what happens here in the next few months. Maybe a big life change will come with a move to the other side of the country, or maybe I'll still be here. Life is a game, you never really know what the next move is going to be.

Still undecided about the topic of this blog. For now I am just going to update it with my daily banter (aren't you lucky?!) Maybe that's all it will be. I do find it very relaxing just to put my thought down on "paper" and get it all out. Perhaps someone out there will give me a new idea for something to try or to write about. I'm open to anything.

OK, new idea

So my colour social experiment was a bust. Not only was I not able to make it through a whole week of black, but I am not really able to continue with another colour due to the same fact that my closet is very limited. I really should have thought of this all before I started, but live and learn.

So what to blog about now?? I guess I can just do a daily blog about my life, although that's not too exciting. I kinda wanted to have a fun topic or theme that would ground my blog. So for right now, my blog is about trying to find something to blog about!

One of my good friends and co-workers, whom we shall refer to as PM here, were brainstorming ideas today. One of our thoughts was to blog about our attempts to write a book or a play or anything! I am trying to get her on board with me here at the Monkey House to be my guest blogger, but we'll see what happens. PM actually has a whole memory stick full of novels that she has started, pitch letters she wrote to companies, and other great writing pieces. I have nothing like that. But her dedication to writing is very inspiring to me.

I would really like to write a novel. Originally, the Money House was to be my platform to brainstorm ideas and gather input about a novel for me to write, maybe I should start that up again...

I will decide and get back to you on that. But in the meantime, if anyone has any ideas for me, please feel free to post them below!

No Black day

Well I just couldn't do it. I couldn't make it through a whole week of black. As I alluded to in previous posts, I just did not have the closet inventory to stick to the plan for 5 days. And more importantly, tomorrow is St. Patrick's Day and my grandfather (being born and raised in Ireland) would be rolling in his grave if I didn't wear green.

So how did my first week of the colour social experiment go? Just Ok actually. Didn't produce any earth shattering results. Nothing crazy happened that I could attribute to the black theme. Didn't even make it through the whole week wearing black.

Was the experiment thus far a failure?  I don't think so. I had some pretty good conversations about black with people. It made me more aware of the colours that were around me and how they made me feel.

Day 4 of the Blackout

Not much new to report on the colour social experiment so far. Still wearing (mostly) all black, although I have no idea what I will wear for tomorrow's black-a-thon. I really need to go shopping. I guess this experiment is a good excuse for that. Watch out credit card, you are getting used and abused this weekend! You have been warned.

Life has pretty much been normal life for me. I have been fairly productive at work, although I moved offices (again) this week, so that slowed me down a little, but all in all, still getting stuff done. Life at home has been going well, everybody is getting along swell.

Maybe Black doesn't hold as much power as people thinks it does.

Hueless Humpday

So it's Wednesday. Hump day. Day 3 of the black-out.

I have to say that while I'm not wearing much for colour, I am not totally blacked-out either. I guess I should have seen this coming...not enough black in the closet to make it through a whole week of total blackness. Oh well. I am, however, still not wearing colour (if that still counts). Today it's: a black skirt with a black and white blouse with grey stockings. I think the most depressing part of this whole experiment is not wearing black everyday, but that I actually have so little choice in my closet for me to choose from.

So some preliminary results of my three day black-out so far:

• Minus the truck incident on Monday (which is now fixed), overall I have been having a pretty good week! Been getting along with everyone, busy at work, new opportunities have been presented and today I won 20 Jungle Bucks from Coast 101.1 on the Coast Conundrum.
• People are starting to question why all the black talk on facebook. I just keep saying that it's a social experiment (which it is!)
•  Some of the responses that I got to my post "Black is...(finish the sentence):
• "Slimming"
• "The colour of my true loves hair"
• "black"
• "The tube of oil paint I never use"
• "A shade not a colour"

Day 2 of the Blackout

So here we are. Day 2 of the colour social experiment.

Another black day, which is harder than I thought it would be to find all black clothes for work. I mean, most of my work clothes have a bit of colour on them and finding both top and bottoms that are black is proving to be harder than I thought. Most of my black clothes are either fancy fancy or yoga pants. So guess which of the two I am wearing today? I am wearing a black sequence tunic top, black leggings, a blazer and my shiny black pumps. I must say I am looking good, but it is a little fancier than I normally go for the office. That's ok too.

Ok, so results of yesterday's black-thon. I changed my profile and cover on my facebook account to solid black and I posed a question to my fb peps: "How does the colour black make you feel?" The responses were:

• " (:( "...(which is kinda an inside joke between one of my friends and I. Its really supposed to be :(: which is the symbol for bipolar)
• "its my current hair colour"
• "Relaxed and sleepy"
• "Cool"
• "Skinny" 
• "Quiet and then sometimes scared, depends on my frame of mind!"

All really great answers! I added that it makes me feel powerful. 

OK I will update more later. 

If anyone has anything to add, I would love to hear what you have to say about the colour black.

Cheers

The Meaning of Black

Black is often a misunderstood colour, or at least, a conflicted colour. It has both negative and positive connotations in today's world, so let's explore some of the meanings and uses of black.

The Good:

• It goes with everything!  Black is one of the shades that complements other colours very well. It makes other colours pop and can pretty much go with anything. Even black on black is fine.
• Its slimming for the figure. Anybody can wear black and it is often used to hide little flaws that people are self concious about. Don't like that flat tire around your waist? Wear black! Because its dark in nature, those little bumps and humps are concealed by the shadows of black. 
• A Black-tie Affair. Often used to reference a formal affair in which men wear tux's and women wear their "little black dress", black is the colour of choice to represent formality. 
• The Black-Belt Expert. Someone who is an expert in the sport of karate is called a black-belt. This term is sometimes used to reference an expert in any field. "She's got a black-belt in driving!" (That's me!)

The Bad:

• You've been Black-Listed. Oh no! You pissed someone off. You just made their black-list. This is a list that you don't want to be on. Akin to a shit-list, a black list is a list, imaginary or real, of people who you would just love to punch in the face if given the chance or if you could really get away with it. (There are a couple names on my black-list...) POW!
• Did I just Blackout? That's never a good thing, unless you don't want to remember the night before. I have a few good friends who just get a little too drunky-poo and woke up not remembering what went on the night before. My job is to fill in the missing pieces and let them know who they have to call and apologize to.
• Oh, me black eye! Did you just get punched in the face by a black-belt because you were on their black-list? Well hopefully you blacked-out.  
• Saucy as the Black. This is a common saying here in Newfoundland, and it doesn't mean what you think it means either. Back in the day, when English and Irish settlers were populating the island, there was often tension between the Catholics and the Protestants. Protestants were sometimes referred to as "Bible-Black". So if someone says you were "saucy as the Black" it means your defiant as a Protestant. So they say. 
• The Black Sheep of the Family. Every family has one, or two or a half dozen. They are the outcast of the family, not following in step with everyone else. Maybe not such a bad thing in some families.
• Shopping on the Black Market. Where would you go to find tiger testicles if not for the black market? The informal illegal black market is where you find stuff that you can't buy anywhere else. 

Black Monday

So today is the first day of my colour social experiment. This weeks colour is black (maybe I should have chose green as it close to St. Paddy's day, but oh well). So I dressed completely in black this morning, right down to my bra and underwear. Even my necklace and earrings are black.

Do I feel any different? Not really so far. I was bit ticked off this morning dealing with a cranky child and a truck that wouldn't start, but I don't think that had anything to do with my clothes colour. Maybe it did though...

Got to work this morning and I already received a complement on how I look today. That was nice.

I am now going to change my facebook profile picture to a black box. Lets see if anyone will comment on it.

And I am going to throw a question out there...How does black make you feel? Feel free to comment below.

Update to come later today.

Colour experiment

Does colour really have the power to influence people lives? Can it change the way that people think, feel, act?

Well I would like to propose a little social expirment.

I am going to examine colour in my everyday life and see if I can dedect change in myslef and my environment just with the use of colours.

There are some colour theories and therapies out there that explain how colour is used to invoke emotions and convey messages.

The first colour that I am going to "test" is black.  I will wear black for a whole week and document any changes that I see or feel.

Did I mention that I love the Colour Lovers Site?