Stress Tics and Tiny Houses

This semester, discussions of stress tics in both of my classes have been prevalent, especially in my 252 class, where we've talked about using them to create characters who are alive (even if they're not doing what they're supposed to be doing). So maybe that's why I'm recognizing my avoidance techniques more often than I might have otherwise done. I've got Gaelic Storm on the iTunes, because I'm of a mood to sing harmony this morning.

This morning, I Skyped with my sister K2, my brother-in-law, M., and my 2-year-old niece. (There are three of us K sisters, I'm the oldest, K2 is the middle, and K3 is the youngest.) That was a fun avoidance technique. C., as usual, was her adorable self, looking at my face on the screen and requesting instead to see the cats (I'm third fiddle), then turning to her mother and not just requesting chocolate at 9:30 in the morning, but when told no, C. shifted gears and started to negotiate with K2 for the chocolate. Watching K2 during this negotiation was just as adorable as C. doing the negotiating. Of course, C. still has eyeliner on her face from yesterday's episode of digging through my sister K3's purse, finding her eyeliner, and drawing on her face with it. (And then K3 sent us pictures, which would have been cute just with C.'s face, but since C. is potty training, C. is running around without pants these days (with leggings (and sometimes boots)) to keep her warm.

I did request of K2 support and recipes from herself and K3, because I'm trying really hard (since Wednesday) to be a vegetarian, because I know that meat consumption puts an unsustainable strain on the biology of the planet. It's really hard, because I like meat (and M. reported that he'd used his birthday gift from me to buy sirloin and beef jerky at their local meat market). But I'm trying to live what I've been preaching to my students, that it's the little ways that we're going to make a difference in our world, because realistically, we're not going to be the ones going up against the Keystone XL people.

When we hung up, I booted up my rhetoric paper (I still don't know what I'm doing, really) and then checked Facebook (I'm very good at avoidance...) and Tiny Texas Homes posted new pics of what they've been doing in March. I love these guys. They're building these tiny homes with 99% salvaged materials. Drool. Here's my favorite one: Canyon Lake.

And while I was at it, I hit up Tumbleweed Tiny Houses, because their Harbinger is my favorite, dream house in the world. Because they don't build the Harbinger or the rest of the small houses, I hadn't seen an actual Harbinger until Bethany posted hers here on the Tiny House Blog. Want, want, want. I also like their Whidbey, but I don't fancy my bedroom being right next to the front door.

In other moments, when I'm thinking even smaller, 130 sq ft small, I want the Fencl.

And the question that anyone asks when I mention tiny houses is always the same: where will you put your books? A good question. But a better question this morning: which tiny house can you imagine yourself in? Which do you like? Could you ever live in a tiny house? What would prevent you from doing so?