one foot on the dock

It was a beautiful Sunday morning.
I procrastinated getting out of bed for as long as I could.
I emerged from the bunk at 7 am.
I put on my shoes, grabbed the doggie leashes, and neglected to fix my pony tail leaving chunks of hair falling in whatever direction they desired.
I opened up the hatch to feel the fresh air come into the cabin.
I hear the dogs one by one jumping down from their bed, getting ready to run around/through/under/against me, aching to go on a walk.
Once outside, Bear and Zita jumped off the boat.
Zita did her normal circling in excitement while announcing to everyone “Hey! I’m about to go on a walk everyone! A WALLLKK!!!”
I grabbed their leashes, and was about to grab Capone.
But before doing that, I had to get one foot on the dock so that I could grab him and hoist him onto the dock.
…One foot on the dock.
I had one job… to get one foot on the dock!
I failed! Somewhat miserably!
My foot slipped on the morning dew and my left butt cheek came crashing down to the dock and I heard that dreaded splash when you’ve dropped something into the water.
F$#@%!! NOOOOOO!!!!! I DON’T WANT TO GO SWIMM..Wait… OK… Everything’s fine Rachel…
It was just my foot. I dropped my foot into the water.
I guess it was bound to happen one of these days.

a beautiful morning

Just another morning at the marina, no big deal.

capone

I am dog sitting this week for a little shitzu named Capone. Or Capoopers. Or Caponie Pants. Who knows where these nicknames come from! It’s fun having him around.

In any case, he is not a boat dog and is totally unsure of this situation. His short legs do not allow him to get onto the boat, or onto the bench where my kiddos sleep, or anywhere really. He isn’t so sure about that. He hesitates when we walk down the dock to the boat, as if I am lost and he doesn’t trust where I am going.

That being said, I’ve taken him into work with me this week and he gets the hugest crooked little smile on his face! I think it’s mostly because he’s in a place where he can freely roam. It’s adorable. Everyone in the office has fallen in love with his royal cuteness and they love coming by to talk to him and pet him. Our office dog likes to steal his toys, and Capone is way too cool to let that bother him.

This being his fourth night on the boat, I think my kiddos are rubbing off on him. Right before going to bed I give one last belly rub to Bear + Zita, and today Mr. Capone showed me his belly. Here he is waiting in line for the loving.

awesome neighbors

Ok, right after I posted my rant about my creepy neighbor, I went out to the deck and saw this:

I forgot I had seen a friend on another dock the other day and he warned me that he was going to leave me something. I was boasting about my new oven and was excited to make some dairy free treats, and being that he makes deserts at a very nice restaurant, he left me some goodies!

Can’t wait to hear what the yummy-ness was inside! Thanks Alejandro!!

weirdo neighbors

So, a lot of people would agree that amongst the liveaboards in any marina it is sure to be a collection of “interesting folk”.

When I first moved to this dock, my only other official liveaboard neighbor asked if I had met the creepy guy next to me. “You know, he’s got the cameras set up in his windows?”

Say what?! There’s someone living next to me and may be spying on me and I haven’t seen him once?! To date, I’ve been at this spot for about 6 months and I have seen him two times, either going to or leaving the boat. Both times he didn’t even look at me. Both times I thought to myself “there’s no way he’s actually living there, I would surely see him more often right?

Wrong. Today, this man is doing some boat work and the only way I know that is because 1. I saw his saw protruding from the tarp as he was sawing away and 2. I can hear him drilling all sorts of things in the cockpit.

It is so odd to me that people like this exist. I never thought of myself as a super social being, but I think.. wait.. I KNOW I would go nuts being trapped in a boat for weeks at a time with no social interaction.

So far, he’s taken the camera that faces my boat down and he hasn’t bothered me so I might as well just keep pretending that I don’t know he’s there.

At my last dock, I saw a couple of guys doing the same as this guy: coming and going without uttering a word, disappearing into their boat to quickly be forgotten about until they are seen again. They weren’t right next to me, and they didn’t have cameras in their windows, (or did they?!?!) but whatever, so I’ve got some weirdo neighbors. There’s still plenty of cool people here.

a makeshift galley!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I broke down and ordered a manual food processor to open up my world of cooking. I also happened to meet a woman who had received a small convection oven the size of a microwave as a gift, a gift she did not have room for.

This is so exciting!!! I got the food processor a little over a week ago and have already made a fennel salad, cauliflower mashed potatoes, pesto, zucchini noodles, and carrot salad. I love this thing! I had a space that was perfect for the Braville convection oven, I now just need a short extension cord to be able to plug it in and use it. Since I have moved my plug in cooler out of the way, I am hoping to be able to legitimately have people over for dinner now. YESSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My savior

 

Woot woot, it’s an oven!

Amancio’s B-Day

I was supposed to make my first voyage of the year the previous weekend, until there was a small craft advisory that morning. I didn’t want to push my luck, so I decided not to take the boat out. My friend wasn’t available until later in the month to go sailing, so I was going to wait until he was back in town.

Alas, I get an email from my old neighbor that it was his birthday on Mother’s day and he wanted to take the kids and friends out, and wanted me to meet him there. SWEET!!!! The boat was already waiting to go out, she just needed the right crew. A coworker of mine came along with Alex and his girlfriend Pi, and it was a blasty blast!!! Bear and Zita got lots of love (and Zita scared a couple of children), I got to meet Amancio’s new son Filipe, there was some good Brazilian steak that was cooked up on the BBQ, we rafted to shore and played on the beach, kids went fishing, we laid in the sun, I couldn’t think of a better way to spend the day!

P.S. Not only did I get to test out my anchor and splicing job, since we got there first we anchored down and the two boats that followed tied on to me at the cove at Treasure Island. Needless to say, we didn’t drag and were completely secure! WIN!

wild

Recently a friend lent me a book. I had read reviews on NPR about it and thought it was a great story, so when my friend brought it up I asked if I could borrow it. So far, the author has explained what led her to start this three month hike on the Pacific Coast Trail. I thought the review I read stated it was because of a divorce, so I didn’t think I would relate to that too much as I haven’t been married (although I felt like I was once, and I hated it). It actually wasn’t so much the divorce that led her to this journey, however the death of her mother, that plagued her. Her inability to keep her family together, unable to interest her step-father and siblings in remembering her, and her failed relationship with her husband when she gravitated towards a three month solo hike in terrain she’d never explored before. The way she describes the hole her mothers death left in her heart, and how part of her died that day too, and how all she wanted to do was be alone and find her own way and how she had tried for four years, and failed.

I can definitely relate to how she feels, as it has been almost four years after I lost my own mother (figuratively). I too have struggled to find where that leaves me in this world. I don’t know where I belong, I don’t know what I’m supposed to be doing with my life. I have tried, and failed, to make numerous relationships work in hopes they would fill the void. I know what I don’t want, so that’s a good start. How exactly can I give my life substance, when everything I had lived for was a figment of my imagination? A love and life I wasn’t ever going to have? It’s hard finding people who understand or accept that I just need to figure this stuff out on my own. It boggles my mind that people are so concerned with such miniscule things, like my weight, or why I choose to not date. Am I really out of control if I choose not to date? I feel people who can’t be single are the ones who are out of control. Am I really going off the deep end it if I have gained 20 lbs in the past ten years? I hardly think so, in fact I prefer not to agonize over every calorie that I eat, and that to me is healthy. But I also find it is easier to be around people who choose to support me rather than criticize me.

Ultimately I ask myself if having anything that people feel I should have is going to lead me to my final goal? Probably not. Having a man isn’t going to save me. And being 20 lbs lighter isn’t going to save me either. I’ve got to dig deeper, and that’s what I’m doing. I know I have stopped socializing as much as I used to, and for that I kind of but kind of don’t apologize. I’m just not into it right now. I’m happy with the progress I’ve made, and know that there is still more of my own journey whose path I am discovering.

saving money

It was “Bike To Work Day” here in the Bay and that inspired me to write this post. I’ve been making a lot of changes to make what I have last as long as possible (as far as supplies, food, and money). I really am tightening down on my spending, so here’s what I’ve been doing to save that monay:

1. Started riding my bike to work. Savings: $80/month (plus used less gas to get to the BART station)

2. Since I bike to work and hardly drive, one tank of gas can last me two months. Savings: $70/month

3. Bought drug store makeup instead of department store brands. Savings: $25/month

4. Since my hair is finally all the same texture (all damaged parts have been cut off!!) I buy the cheapest conditioner possible. Savings: $6/month

5. At my new dock, electricity is paid for (I paid the electricity at my last dock). Savings: up to $77/month (YES, I had an almost $80 bill in the winter)

6. I make all of my food. I might eat out once every couple of weeks. Savings: $1.2 million. Ok, maybe more like $200/month

7. Cancelled my gym membership. My new office has a gym, and I would rather be outside with the dogs anyways. Savings: $44/month

8. Used a company discount on my cell phone bill and re-assessed my usage with the plan. Savings: $15/month

9. Utilize the VA Healthcare system instead of opting for high cost health insurance. Savings: $150/month (more including copays, meds, etc.)

10. Do laundry more often. Amazingly enough, when I do one big load of laundry a week rather than waiting for an entire white/dark/mixed load to become full, I cut my laundry expenses in half! Savings: $25/month

11. Find uses for things I already have. This goes for food as well (if I have a bag of carrots, make some carrot salad!) Savings: PRICELESS!!!!

Added up, I’m saving $695/month!!! That’s a lot. Mind you I have never had health insurance, so I’ve never spent that $150/month. That’s still a lot of monthly savings that I’m pretty damn proud of. What else can you cut out of your life?

never a dull moment

I don’t know what to say. My life is certainly not boring! I was on my ride home from work and two pittbulls were running in my direction. There are several runners, walkers, bikers, roller bladers, etc on this trail, but what was odd was that their leashes were tied together and nobody was with them. I stopped and called out “Hey puppies!!” to see if they would come towards me. I know when my dogs lose me at the park they won’t go near other people because they’re only looking for me.

Alas, the dogs came right over and gave me lots of kisses. They were well fed and mild mannered, so I grabbed their leash and tried to call animal control from my cell. Since animal control was closed for the day, the police said they would meet me at the shelter, which was just around the corner (maybe a 1.5 mile walk).

These dogs are strong!! Much stronger than mine! A girl and her dog were running on the path and these dogs almost knocked me over trying to sniff her dog as they ran by. She looked at me like I was crazy as my bike fell over trying to stop these dogs from scaring her. “They’re not my dogs! Sorry about that, I’m trying to take them to the shelter”. She stopped to hear what I said and wished me luck, it was nice. I didn’t want her to think I would own dogs I couldn’t control (a personal pet peeve of mine).

As I was on the phone with the cops again letting them know I was close to the shelter, this older man came biking from behind the trees. There are a few homeless people who live in the bushes, in tents mostly. As he got closer he was yelling “what do you think you guys are doing?!” I wasn’t sure if he was mad at me, but as I was talking to him explaining where I had found the dogs and where I was going with them, he thanked me profusely for taking a hold of them. Apparently “Buddy” and “Scout” have gotten out before. This man, named Dan, shook my hand and gave me a hug, and we went out separate ways.

At least I know that they are safe and unharmed.

As for the rest of my evening, I tried a new paleo recipe and really enjoyed it

thinking smarter, not harder

Alright. I’ve made a LOT of progress in the past month since I really started focusing on making my day to day life easier. I hate to admit that I can spend hours, over several days, contemplating on what to do about a very miniscule part of the boat. For instance: my ice box. I currently put my dishes/stove in there because it is the only place I can keep them dog hair/condensation free (meaning I don’t have to wash my dishes before I use them). I have a 12V cooler that I put my food in, but since there is nowhere to put this cooler I store it underneath my table. That means I can sit at my table, however, only with my legs out in the oh-so-big walkway of mine.

Hmm… what to do, what to do? I had already used the ice box the first few months I was aboard and it proved to be a hassle. First, only one grocery store near me has a bag of ice big enough to last a week. It was $5, and the store is a hot mess on the weekends. That means I would be spending $20 a month on “refrigeration” for a bag that is so big I can hardly fit a weeks worth of food in there. Plus, ice makes some foods soggy and the melted water drains out into a bilge that would have to regularly be emptied.

While the cooler has served me well, it would do me no good if I am anchoring out overnight (not to mention it’s totally in my way). My dishes can easily be moved to my former water tank location (it has been converted to dry storage because it leaked, it’s currently my junk drawer).

I started researching how boaters or weekend campers deal with cooling. I read a lot of great tips about placing food elevated above the ice by placing it on a wire rack of some sort, some mention buying blocks of ice last longer. Where can I buy a block of ice? Wait… I don’t want to have to constantly go out of my way just for a stupid block of ice and empty the bilge. A few days later, I think I have a plan of attack. Perhaps with some open wire stackable baskets and several large ice packs perhaps I can use my ice box as an ice box again AND be able to sit at my table properly? I hope to be able to bring the ice packs into work to freeze, of course not all at once, to have a happy and cold icebox. I HOPE!!!!

NO

One thing I have been working hard to do is set my boundaries with people early on in relationships. I am admittedly way too passive sometimes. Put me with pushy people and next thing I know I have people inviting themselves and all their closest friends and relatives onto my boat. “You should take us out sometime!!”

Whoa, whoa, whoa there cowboy! Me thinks not. I don’t particularly like entertaining first off, it makes me nervous and I’d rather have MY close friends and family aboard. Even then, I still am not entirely comfortable taking my boat out until I have more experience. I should not be the most experienced person on the boat yet. Lastly, any idea how much time and money I put into making this my home and still be able to sail it? Things will fall, lockers will get wet, it’s an art form to make this work in the first place! While you hold in your annoyance that I won’t do what you want me to do, I am patting myself in the back for having made as much progress as I have. I honestly had no idea what hard work was until I started this adventure! It’s not my job to take people out, this is my home.

I had a vision last year. It included me single handing out somewhere, anchoring out, putting up my hammock, and reading a book. That’s all I care about right now.

So when others tell me what I should do (like take them and so and so and his girlfriend and your bestie, oh and some random guy who is in town and his sister) I only have these words : nope. Nope. NO.