Some odds & ends. My world has been rather narrow since last Friday thanks to a migraine mixed with a pulled back (which was a level of hell I can not endorse). Fortunately, muscle relaxants, pain killers, sleep, and long, hot showers worked their magic and my intellect has started to expand back to its normal boundaries. Still limited a bit thanks to left over pain & drugs, but no longer incapacitated. Thank the Lord & all deities known to mankind.
1. OK, I admit my tastes are a bit off from most, but when did someone like the Italian soccer referee Pierluigi Collina become a sex symbol? I was listening to NPR this morning & that came on. So since I have an abundance of resources and time, I figured I would check it out. Thank you, Google! I am now incredibly confused and wondering just what am I missing that he is considered "1 of the most virile men on the soccer field"?
2. These are 2 different ways of saying the same thing that I received today vis email.
Things I have learned from watching the news about hurricane Katrina on TV.........
The hurricane only hit black family properties.
New Orleans was devastated and no other city was affected by the hurricane.
Mississippi is reported to have a tree blown down.
New Orleans has no white people.
The hurricane blew a limb off a tree in the yard of an Alabama resident.
When you are hungry after a hurricane steal a big screen TV and Nike footware.
The hurricane did 23 billion dollars in improvements to New Orleans, and now the city has no welfare recipients, looters, or gangs; they have moved to your city.
White folks don't make good news stories.
Don't give thanks to the thousands that came to help rescue you, instead bitch because the government hasn't given you a debit card yet.
Only black family members got separated in the hurricane rescue efforts.
Ignore warnings to evacuate and the white folks will come get you and give you money for being stupid.
Oh, and it is all George Bush's fault.
In Katrina I Didn't See Racism, I Saw Brotherhoodby Rabbi Aryeh SperoPosted Sep 7, 2005 In New Orleans, beginning Tuesday morning, August 30, I saw men in helicopters risking their lives to save stranded flood victims from rooftops. The rescuers were White, the stranded Black. I saw Caucasians navigating their small, private boats in violent, swirling, toxic floodwaters to find fellow citizens trapped in their houses. Those they saved were Black. I saw Brotherhood. New York Congressman Charlie Rangel saw Racism. Yes, there are Two Americas. One is the real America, where virtually every White person I know sends money, food or clothes to those in need -- now and in other crises -- regardless of color. This America is colorblind. The other is the America fantasized and manufactured by Charlie Rangel,Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton, who constantly cry "racism!" even in situations where it does not exist, even when undeniable images illustrate love, compassion and concern. These three men, together with today's NAACP, want to continue the notion of Racist America. It is their Mantra, their calling card. Their power, money, and continued media appearances depend on it. Often, people caught up in accusing others of sin neglect to undergo their own personal introspection. They begin to think they alone inhabit the moral high ground. It is high time these men peered into their own hearts at the dark chamber that causes this unceasing labeling of their fellow Americans as "racist." They may find in that chamber their own racism -- against Whites. There is only one real America. Beginning Friday morning in Houston, thousands of regular citizens poured into the Astrodome offering water, food, clean clothes, personal items, baby diapers and toys, love and even their homes to the evacuees who had been bused in from New Orleans. Most of the givers were White, most of those being helped were Black. But there was Jesse Jackson, busy on TV, accusing the country of not putting Blacks -- i.e., him -- on some type of Commission he is demanding. Where was he early in the week? Not sweating with others from around the country who had scraped their last dollar to come help. With Jesse, it's always about Jesse. After decades of hearing accusations from Jesse, Al, Charlie, the NAACP and certain elitists about how racist America is, it would have been refreshing to hear them for once give thanks to those they for years have been maligning. These self-anointed spokesmen for the Black community lead only when it comes to foisting guilt and condemnation, and not when it comes to acknowledging the good in those they have made a career in castigating. As a Rabbi I have a message I wish to offer to my fellow members of the cloth, Reverends Jackson and Sharpton: It is time to do some soul searching. Your continued efforts to tear this country apart, even in light of the monumental goodness shown by your White brothers, is a sin. There are no churches in the world like the American churches. And there are no better parishioners and members of churches anywhere in the world. These churches are saving the day. Their members -- infused by the special and singular teachings of our unique American Judeo-Christian understanding of the Bible -- are, at this moment, writing an historic chapter in giving, initiative, and selflessness. They are opening their homes to strangers. They are doing what government is incapable of doing. America works because of its faith-based institutions. It always has.That is what makes it America. So next time the ACLU tries to diminish and marginalize the churches, saying there is no role for religion in American public life, that an impenetrable wall must be erected separating the citizens from their faith, cry out "Katrina." Next time the ACLU goes to court asking that U.S. soldiers not be allowed to say Grace in the Mess Hall and that communities be forbidden from setting up a nativity scene, ask yourself: without the motivation of Goodness sourced in Faith, would people offer such sacrifice? Where else does this Brotherhood come from but the Bible which teaches "Thou Shall Love Thy Neighbor as Yourself." I saw brotherhood on Fox News, where 24/7 reporters used their perch as a clearing-house for search-and-rescue missions and communication between the stranded and those in position to save. In contrast, the Old-line networks continued with their usual foolish, brain-numbing programming.Those who always preach "compassion" chose profit over people. The New York Times has utterly failed America. Its columnists could have used their talents and word skills to inspire and unite a nation.Columnists such as Frank Rich and Paul Krugman, however, revealed their true colors by evading their once-in-a-lifetime chance to help and instead chose to divide, condemn, and fuel the fires and poison the waters of Louisiana. In them, I saw no Brotherhood. The newspaper always preaching "compassion" verifies Shakespeare's "They protest too much." Similar elitists here in the northeast and on the west coast have over the years expressed their view of the South as "unsophisticated" andTexans as "cowboys." Well, the South has come through, especially Houston and other parts of Texas, whereas, as I write this on Labor Day, the limousine moralizers are lying on east and west coast beaches thinking they're doing their part by reading Times' editorials and calling George Bush "racist." How sanctimonious life becomes when proving you are not a racist depends not on living in a truly integrated neighborhood, but by simply calling others racist. Like so often in history, facts trump platitudes. Reality reigns. Those who always preach brotherhood, thus far have acted devoid of it. Those who for decades have been accused by elitists of not having compassion are the ones living it. They are: the churches, the military, and the sons and daughters of the South.
3. It is great to be able to say "I told you so!" I have lots of physical evidence, not the least of which being that I am not the out doorsey type to prove that why, yes, I do have a Peeping Tom & the perv has been growing bolder. He has started moving the tables & such so that he can have a better perch from which to watch as I go to bed. It must be really exciting watching me clip my cats nails & sleep, but who am I to judge? So long as he/they remain OUTSIDE I am willing to look at the bright side, you know?
But I still get to say, "I TOLD YOU!"
4. I really want a better job. I hate it that my income is so low that I can't even justify Netflix until after Christmas. It is beyond annoying. Though I must admit that I might get over my issues and just say to hell with some other basic food group and go on a strict slim fast diet. I would lose lots of weight & be entertained all at once. I think it is a workable plan. All I have to do is give up my Reeses' Peanut Butter cups & all will be kosher. HA!
5. I have been able to actually accomplish some reading lately. Nothing too demanding, but I enjoy the manga books. Not much to say about them, beyond they are always fun to read and the little side bars from the authors are always a treat to read.
6. The other books I have been able to finish are by Lora Leigh. For those, well, that was my version of sex for the past 2 years. And maybe the next 2 years as well. The plot is definitely on the thin side, but they are rather fun to read, esp. since the version of flirting going on is not only on the unsubtle side but down right pornographic. As an example, the thought of going for a woodland stroll and coming across an incarnation of Fabio (with a better face) sprawled naked on a moss covered hill side is one I can endorse. All that really matters is that the face be MUCH better than Fabio, who is just NOT that attractive. Great body, but that face? And the hair? Ewwww!
7. Has anyone else been watching the new show "Bones"? If yes, I am just curious to know what some opinions are. So far I have heard how much people are enjoying it, but the negatives range from how the woman playing "Bones" is not all that believable, to how the sexual tension is going to eventually kill the show. On the flip side, the positives have all agreed that the 2 episodes so far have had a great flair for wicked, sarcastic humor and the 2 play off 1 another well so there is hope this will last a while. I certainly hope so because the other options are a bit thin.
8. I am soooo looking forward to the next 2 weeks. I will be sleeping in my own bed! I won't be sharing with my sister, the dog, or anything else but the covers! Yippie! And since the vile headache from hell has finally passed, my world has dramatically improved. Sleep is no longer a fantasy but a reality and I love it.
Wednesday, September 21, 2005
Friday, September 16, 2005
Grrrrrrr
I am taking today as an excuse to vent against whatever idiocy created migraines. Currently, I am in the early stages of a migraine & PRAYING that these drugs I have been popping for the past 2 days will kick in and kill this pain. Otherwise, my intelligence will drop exponentially & I despise that.
As it is, I am chilled, head pounding, feel band tightening with each heart beat, eyes trying to implode, hair too heavy, hands so cold, ears hurt & hideous ringing, can't focus vision, visually tracking anything is hard, and I HATE THIS!
Beyond this rather annoying level of pain, I am officially in bankruptcy. I am surprisingly relieved. No more creditors calling me. My cell phone bill will drop dramatically. All I have to do now is pay off my cell phone bill entirely, and then I will be entirely caught up. Once I am stable, I will probably sign up for Netflix and generally let anything resembling a life devolve even further.
Before I get Netflix though I intend to go to the Jacksonville Zoo one day soon. Then next spring I am taking off for the Atlanta Renaissance Festival. Maybe even the Nashville Zoo & Aquarium if gas prices decide to go down to tolerably painful.
I read this story on three-scores blog. It was enough to make me wonder why the hell is the media not covering more positive stories? I read more positive stories in the latest 2 People mags than I have on the news sites. What is it about our society that blood and gore are what sells? I know it is sad, but part of the reason I watch the ridiculous cartoons like the hideous Barbie movies, Hello, Cutie! DVD's, Strawberry Shortcake abominations, and other cutesy things is because they are ridiculously sweet and happy and nothing bad really happens. Even the bad stuff isn't bad. After watching the news detail the latest drive by shutting with the obligatory blood soaked sheet, side walk, cars, grass & buildings, something revoltingly sweet and happy makes me feel better.
To reassure everyone, I also watch movies like the Transporter, the Professional, the original Highlander, Lord of the Rings trilogy, Sixth Sense, X-Men, Army of the Dead, and so on. I do like my blood & guts & mindless violence. I just do not want my violence to be real. Not fake to the point you can see the plastic tubes, but fake.
Ugh. Hate the occasional pretty color flashes. They hurt and they blind me temporarily. Bad Bad Bad Definitely do not like how IQ drops. Really hate pain. Lights are off so that's good. Dread drive to Mom's. Once there can crash, but must get there 1st. Ugh.
As it is, I am chilled, head pounding, feel band tightening with each heart beat, eyes trying to implode, hair too heavy, hands so cold, ears hurt & hideous ringing, can't focus vision, visually tracking anything is hard, and I HATE THIS!
Beyond this rather annoying level of pain, I am officially in bankruptcy. I am surprisingly relieved. No more creditors calling me. My cell phone bill will drop dramatically. All I have to do now is pay off my cell phone bill entirely, and then I will be entirely caught up. Once I am stable, I will probably sign up for Netflix and generally let anything resembling a life devolve even further.
Before I get Netflix though I intend to go to the Jacksonville Zoo one day soon. Then next spring I am taking off for the Atlanta Renaissance Festival. Maybe even the Nashville Zoo & Aquarium if gas prices decide to go down to tolerably painful.
I read this story on three-scores blog. It was enough to make me wonder why the hell is the media not covering more positive stories? I read more positive stories in the latest 2 People mags than I have on the news sites. What is it about our society that blood and gore are what sells? I know it is sad, but part of the reason I watch the ridiculous cartoons like the hideous Barbie movies, Hello, Cutie! DVD's, Strawberry Shortcake abominations, and other cutesy things is because they are ridiculously sweet and happy and nothing bad really happens. Even the bad stuff isn't bad. After watching the news detail the latest drive by shutting with the obligatory blood soaked sheet, side walk, cars, grass & buildings, something revoltingly sweet and happy makes me feel better.
To reassure everyone, I also watch movies like the Transporter, the Professional, the original Highlander, Lord of the Rings trilogy, Sixth Sense, X-Men, Army of the Dead, and so on. I do like my blood & guts & mindless violence. I just do not want my violence to be real. Not fake to the point you can see the plastic tubes, but fake.
Ugh. Hate the occasional pretty color flashes. They hurt and they blind me temporarily. Bad Bad Bad Definitely do not like how IQ drops. Really hate pain. Lights are off so that's good. Dread drive to Mom's. Once there can crash, but must get there 1st. Ugh.
Monday, September 12, 2005
It's Monday again
Another 9/11 remembrance is complete. I am amazed at how many forget what happened and how the human psyche can ignore what it wants. Oh well.
On the way home yesterday I was listening to a psychologist working with the poor in the Houston super dome and was rather disgusted by the entire interview. I can agree with a lot of the facts that were discussed, but the way the 2 spoke of the poor misunderstood souls who needed more help and how the drugs these poor frighteningly incompetent souls needed were difficult to get made me want to barf all over my car. To be clear, the tenor of the conversation was that only the poor were mental incompetent and that is why they were poor. As mental incompetents, they could not handle the level of stress that a "normal" person dealt with on a day to day basis.
What a load of crock. Let's see, how many loons are there in history who were VERY wealthy souls? I think most of the British royal line counts here. And stress is nothing more than how an individual does or does not cope. Just because I find it stressful to have to smile all day at a group of people I do not want to associate with does not mean that Joe Schmoe won't get off on it & find my idea of a relaxing weekend hiding behind a stack of books not only beyond comprehension but enough to have him climbing the walls & highly stressed out. Besides, NOT having money is always stressful. Ask anyone who is not in the same income bracket as the Hilton's & Trumps. They also have stress but worrying about paying the power bill is not on their list of stresses.
This morning when I got up late, I had a totally out of the ball park thought about gay marriage. I was wondering how gay marriage would affect green cards. It is a fact that many people marry Americans to get their green cards and now with gay marriage considered a legal fact in a growing number of states, how soon until gay men & women start following a well established trend?
I decided that there was little to nothing I could do about that particular topic at 6 am, so I got pulled together and went for a walk. Today's was a wonderful contrast to many in the past. The dogs stayed close. I had an escort of tumbling leaves thanks to a steady wind. I saw a rather large turtle working his way down the road. The dogs chased some deer across the road & that was a cool treat. The terriers did not come out barking. It was just a nice walk with a lot of nice, quiet moments.
Then I came to work and it is amazing how quickly the day goes downhill from there. But I have found 3 more jobs I am going to apply for in NC & life continues its merry little way. Now all I have to do is kill time until about 4 when I get to have my evaluation done & then it will be 8 pm before I know it & I can go home. After I pay the power bill that is.
On the way home yesterday I was listening to a psychologist working with the poor in the Houston super dome and was rather disgusted by the entire interview. I can agree with a lot of the facts that were discussed, but the way the 2 spoke of the poor misunderstood souls who needed more help and how the drugs these poor frighteningly incompetent souls needed were difficult to get made me want to barf all over my car. To be clear, the tenor of the conversation was that only the poor were mental incompetent and that is why they were poor. As mental incompetents, they could not handle the level of stress that a "normal" person dealt with on a day to day basis.
What a load of crock. Let's see, how many loons are there in history who were VERY wealthy souls? I think most of the British royal line counts here. And stress is nothing more than how an individual does or does not cope. Just because I find it stressful to have to smile all day at a group of people I do not want to associate with does not mean that Joe Schmoe won't get off on it & find my idea of a relaxing weekend hiding behind a stack of books not only beyond comprehension but enough to have him climbing the walls & highly stressed out. Besides, NOT having money is always stressful. Ask anyone who is not in the same income bracket as the Hilton's & Trumps. They also have stress but worrying about paying the power bill is not on their list of stresses.
This morning when I got up late, I had a totally out of the ball park thought about gay marriage. I was wondering how gay marriage would affect green cards. It is a fact that many people marry Americans to get their green cards and now with gay marriage considered a legal fact in a growing number of states, how soon until gay men & women start following a well established trend?
I decided that there was little to nothing I could do about that particular topic at 6 am, so I got pulled together and went for a walk. Today's was a wonderful contrast to many in the past. The dogs stayed close. I had an escort of tumbling leaves thanks to a steady wind. I saw a rather large turtle working his way down the road. The dogs chased some deer across the road & that was a cool treat. The terriers did not come out barking. It was just a nice walk with a lot of nice, quiet moments.
Then I came to work and it is amazing how quickly the day goes downhill from there. But I have found 3 more jobs I am going to apply for in NC & life continues its merry little way. Now all I have to do is kill time until about 4 when I get to have my evaluation done & then it will be 8 pm before I know it & I can go home. After I pay the power bill that is.
Sunday, September 11, 2005
Working On A Sunday
I know that it is hypocritical, but I really hate working on Sundays & wish that I did not have to. And I think that just about every other place across the world should be closed on Sunday as well. With the noticeable exceptions of Wal-Mart, gas stations, and other useful locations, of course.
Today I have been playing a stupid mind game to keep myself entertained. I can recommend it for meetings when you are really not necessary but you need to look like you are paying attention & not staring into space mindlessly.
There are numerous variations, but I started years ago by trying to decide what sort of animal a friend most reminded me of. Like exmi reminds me of a pit bull, specifically his dog Deeters but that was not my 1st pick. An english pit bull would have been my 1st pick. My old roomie is forever associated with a blood hound in my mind. A friend at the time was a barn owl because despite her ability to focus and really astounding skills, she is a complete and utter slob and no social skills. Her now ex-husband was a brown bear for a variety of reasons the most obvious being that when you put a picture of him beside a picture of a brown bear there were LOTS of physical similarities. His sister was a chinchilla despite her Scottish heritage and sheep wool-like hair. Another friend we decided was a Florida panther because not only was he on the small side but he would probably gut a person & never notice it - & we were being literal about that. I am still considered a house cat with many voices chiming in that I am a calico house cat. Still not sure what to make of that.
This has evolved to the point where I try and determine not only what animal a person is, but what sort of medieval or alternate life style or futuristic garb/job I can picture a person in. This can cause some rather bizarre images so be warned. As an example, one of my staff ladies is a truly warm, loving woman. However, the medieval career I can see her in is as the good-hearted nosy tavern keeper who knows everyone's business and takes care of everyone whether they want her to or not. To entertain myself, I try picturing her in something from, say a place with a lot of latex. It took a week before I could stop snickering. I can picture her in biker momma leathers & flannel, but not latex.
I have spent many a meeting contemplating the speaker in various garb and it has definitely helped pass the time. It is hard not to have a serious expression after all when you are trying to make a Dilbert-clone look like a dominatrix wanna-be mentally. It makes for a lot of fun & I can recommend it. Just watch for unexpected bouts of laughter.
Today I have been playing a stupid mind game to keep myself entertained. I can recommend it for meetings when you are really not necessary but you need to look like you are paying attention & not staring into space mindlessly.
There are numerous variations, but I started years ago by trying to decide what sort of animal a friend most reminded me of. Like exmi reminds me of a pit bull, specifically his dog Deeters but that was not my 1st pick. An english pit bull would have been my 1st pick. My old roomie is forever associated with a blood hound in my mind. A friend at the time was a barn owl because despite her ability to focus and really astounding skills, she is a complete and utter slob and no social skills. Her now ex-husband was a brown bear for a variety of reasons the most obvious being that when you put a picture of him beside a picture of a brown bear there were LOTS of physical similarities. His sister was a chinchilla despite her Scottish heritage and sheep wool-like hair. Another friend we decided was a Florida panther because not only was he on the small side but he would probably gut a person & never notice it - & we were being literal about that. I am still considered a house cat with many voices chiming in that I am a calico house cat. Still not sure what to make of that.
This has evolved to the point where I try and determine not only what animal a person is, but what sort of medieval or alternate life style or futuristic garb/job I can picture a person in. This can cause some rather bizarre images so be warned. As an example, one of my staff ladies is a truly warm, loving woman. However, the medieval career I can see her in is as the good-hearted nosy tavern keeper who knows everyone's business and takes care of everyone whether they want her to or not. To entertain myself, I try picturing her in something from, say a place with a lot of latex. It took a week before I could stop snickering. I can picture her in biker momma leathers & flannel, but not latex.
I have spent many a meeting contemplating the speaker in various garb and it has definitely helped pass the time. It is hard not to have a serious expression after all when you are trying to make a Dilbert-clone look like a dominatrix wanna-be mentally. It makes for a lot of fun & I can recommend it. Just watch for unexpected bouts of laughter.
Saturday, September 10, 2005
Ho Hum
It is Saturday & here I am again. At work. Attempting to keep my mouth shut so I do not offend the unwashed masses. Succeeding only because I am hiding in my office. Thank God for personal offices, otherwise people like me would have to fight the temptation to tell people just how obnoxious they really are and their cutesy little habits are nothing more than mental finger nails on a chalk board moments.
I really do not have it that bad & I know it. I know everyone gets tired of this mantra & I appreciate the patience. I just keep restating it to remind myself that religious fundamentalism and blind ignorance mixed with willful stupidity is not that bad. Just because I find the levels offensive here at work is no reason what so ever to tell Mrs. H. that I find her face with the Tammy Faye make up disgusting and the way she allows her child to rum rampant unsafe and an invitation for child endangerment. And asking why some of the sweetest ladies how they could let themselves get so fat that their ass hangs to their knees is not a good way to keep my job. I know that telling the ladies that the way they smell of moth balls is singularly unattractive and that I would appreciate it if they would wash their clothes and use cedar instead is not a good way to promote team building and community good will. I know all of this. On days like today, I REALLY want to say all the above and more.
It does not help that I have the grand experience of working tomorrow, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday (though I might "call in sick"), Thursday & Friday, followed by yet another weekend at my mothers. I hate knowing that my job is NOT that demanding and that it is a cake walk. I miss actually doing something. Most of what I do over a months time, I can accomplish in less than a day & I hate having to drag it out over a month.
I think I woke up cranky today. Oh well. I have griped enough on that topic for the day.
So, I watched a couple of good flicks last night with exmi. The 1st was a Kevin Costner flick - The Upside of Anger. That was a nice chick flick that I would recommend. It was not fast paced or anything but so much of it was exactly right given the characters. I liked how Costner was able to actually act. Normally, he can't so to see him manage is always a treat.
The other flick I watched last night was Sahara. If you have ever read any of Clive Cussler's books, DO NOT WATCH THIS MOVIE! For those, like me, who have not, then it is a fun flick and Matthew (__?__) is always worth watching. I have a funny feeling that when I do finally sit down to read all of Cussler's books some 3-day weekend, I am going to be highly offended at the movie. From the commentaries exmi dropped, I have a feeling that the casting was all wrong, there were plot flaws large enough to drive a fleet of semi's through, and the list goes on. Despite all that, we both laughed at the appropriate points and he only objected to 3 major plot flaws.
1 of the plot flaws was rather huge though. An old Civil War cannon ball will not simply fly through the window screen of a helicopter and roll about on the floor. I know that & the closest to a helicopter I have ever gotten is an old land lord who really liked my Mom was an army helicopter pilot, OK? At a guess, an old Civil War cannon ball would shatter a helicopter into many chunks as it went through and would probably bring the 'copter down as the cannon ball created numerous holes. I could be wrong, but that is my personal guess.
Side note - can anyone out there please explain the thought process to this chain of events here at work? 1 of my staff just came in to my hidey hole (a.k.a. my office) to ask me if it was OK if she put the bell out so that she could go gossip. Here are the reasons I am boggled.
1) that bell has been out on the counter with a sign saying that if no one is at the desk, ring the bell & someone will walk up to help for 2 YEARS!
2)Next, I have never once said that my staff must stay at the front desk, especially if we are quiet and there was something more entertaining/necessary going on in some other part of the building - mostly because of the bell! Days like today when we are exceptionally dead, my presence here is a sop to the higher ups who demand that someone with passwords & authority must be on duty.
3) why the hell does she think I care that she wants to 'go gossip about her ex-husband"? I barely ever talk to the woman at all because I can't stand the smell of moth balls or how she acts like a ditz. So long as she stays away, I have officially given up and beyond take advantage of the fact that she can man the front desk without me, I have nothing to do with her because I am constantly ignored. So screw it!
And yes, she is a hot point for me.
Anyway, that was the total extent of my viewing pleasure over the past few days. As cool as the sound track to my nephew's Hot Wheels movies are, that recollection is as far as I care to torture my memory. I have not really read anything. Mostly because I have not been home that long and I have been attempting to settle some arguments here at work before they get out of hand. That & I can't forget my 4 time a year meeting that I had last Wednesday. I wish I could, but amazingly some things were revealed and life was marginally simplified. I just had to spend the past few days explaining them to my more rigid thinkers here at work.
I sound like such as arrogant snot when I write this way. I honestly do not know how much of my opinion of the so-called locals is based on truth and on the fact that I am used to better. I have a long laundry list of reasons for why I have grave doubts about the talents, intelligence, education, and professionalism of many I deal with here, but how much is because I am just an arrogant snob with a mile wide streak of educational elitism thrown in for good measure?
There is a part of me that would like to be able to read other people's minds just so I could tell how my actions are viewed, but I am so grateful that I can't. I would hate to have my nose rubbed in the fact that there are people who see me as fat, lazy, inconsiderate, depressing, whatever. I mean, I can list of a long list of terms that while the degree could be argued, they do describe me. Arrogant is definitely among that list. But a lazy slob? That would probably devastate me.
Tangent off this, but what amazes me is how it is your family who influences your self-image the most. I know quite well where my low self image comes from, just as I know that the image my parents have of me is remarkably skewed. It is the main reason I am able to ignore a lot of their comments to help me improve myself. And that skewed version a parent develops of their child is 1 of the reasons I am against having children of my own. I know this is not a universal. I know that there are untold numbers of parents & their children who are able to grow together and see the changes in maturity and emotional depths in each other. However, in my family & in a lot of those families surrounding me, I see too many who no longer "see" one another.
EX: I know of 1 woman who is now in her 30's, married, successful government job, yet when she & her husband go to her parents, she sleeps with her parents & not her husband because that is where she has "always slept." I find it creepy, but that is how they interact. There is another woman who still carries her 10 year old son because he is "so sweet she just can't put him down." He is used to it, but rapidly getting tired of the jokes. My family is a hotbed of insanity. Like according to my parents, I am still 4'7", with curly hair thanks to that perm I had when I was in 6th grade, wear glasses all the time, and really need to work on finding clothes that fit because I am constantly outgrowing my shoes & clothes - as in they are too short, not too tight. They also really wish that I would wear more dresses because they get tired of always seeing me in shorts & flip flops.
I am 5'7", wear knee to floor length dresses & skirts 80% of the time, my hair is straight, in fact the last time I even had a perm was in the 6th grade, I wear contacts because I am afraid of the laser surgery & only rarely my glasses (usually at night at home watching movies), and it is a constant source of frustration that my parent's do not "see" me. My mother still makes comments about how I throw such terrible temper tantrums and how she gets so frustrated with dealing with me & my temper. I have a temper, no denying that or else I would not be ranting now, but when my evaluations all commend me for my even temper, tact, control and diplomacy, then I get confused.
Oh well. There are no real solutions & I know it. But going back to my refusal to ever have children, a lot of my refusal is based on how I was raised and how messed up I am. I have no desire to put a child through what I went through, even if it is diluted. I also would not want to bring children in to today's world because I at least find it to be too much, all the time.
Complete change in topic, but anyone reading this, what can you tell me about Fayetteville, NC? I am going to focus my job search for the next month there and any hints and suggestions are welcome.
I really do not have it that bad & I know it. I know everyone gets tired of this mantra & I appreciate the patience. I just keep restating it to remind myself that religious fundamentalism and blind ignorance mixed with willful stupidity is not that bad. Just because I find the levels offensive here at work is no reason what so ever to tell Mrs. H. that I find her face with the Tammy Faye make up disgusting and the way she allows her child to rum rampant unsafe and an invitation for child endangerment. And asking why some of the sweetest ladies how they could let themselves get so fat that their ass hangs to their knees is not a good way to keep my job. I know that telling the ladies that the way they smell of moth balls is singularly unattractive and that I would appreciate it if they would wash their clothes and use cedar instead is not a good way to promote team building and community good will. I know all of this. On days like today, I REALLY want to say all the above and more.
It does not help that I have the grand experience of working tomorrow, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday (though I might "call in sick"), Thursday & Friday, followed by yet another weekend at my mothers. I hate knowing that my job is NOT that demanding and that it is a cake walk. I miss actually doing something. Most of what I do over a months time, I can accomplish in less than a day & I hate having to drag it out over a month.
I think I woke up cranky today. Oh well. I have griped enough on that topic for the day.
So, I watched a couple of good flicks last night with exmi. The 1st was a Kevin Costner flick - The Upside of Anger. That was a nice chick flick that I would recommend. It was not fast paced or anything but so much of it was exactly right given the characters. I liked how Costner was able to actually act. Normally, he can't so to see him manage is always a treat.
The other flick I watched last night was Sahara. If you have ever read any of Clive Cussler's books, DO NOT WATCH THIS MOVIE! For those, like me, who have not, then it is a fun flick and Matthew (__?__) is always worth watching. I have a funny feeling that when I do finally sit down to read all of Cussler's books some 3-day weekend, I am going to be highly offended at the movie. From the commentaries exmi dropped, I have a feeling that the casting was all wrong, there were plot flaws large enough to drive a fleet of semi's through, and the list goes on. Despite all that, we both laughed at the appropriate points and he only objected to 3 major plot flaws.
1 of the plot flaws was rather huge though. An old Civil War cannon ball will not simply fly through the window screen of a helicopter and roll about on the floor. I know that & the closest to a helicopter I have ever gotten is an old land lord who really liked my Mom was an army helicopter pilot, OK? At a guess, an old Civil War cannon ball would shatter a helicopter into many chunks as it went through and would probably bring the 'copter down as the cannon ball created numerous holes. I could be wrong, but that is my personal guess.
Side note - can anyone out there please explain the thought process to this chain of events here at work? 1 of my staff just came in to my hidey hole (a.k.a. my office) to ask me if it was OK if she put the bell out so that she could go gossip. Here are the reasons I am boggled.
1) that bell has been out on the counter with a sign saying that if no one is at the desk, ring the bell & someone will walk up to help for 2 YEARS!
2)Next, I have never once said that my staff must stay at the front desk, especially if we are quiet and there was something more entertaining/necessary going on in some other part of the building - mostly because of the bell! Days like today when we are exceptionally dead, my presence here is a sop to the higher ups who demand that someone with passwords & authority must be on duty.
3) why the hell does she think I care that she wants to 'go gossip about her ex-husband"? I barely ever talk to the woman at all because I can't stand the smell of moth balls or how she acts like a ditz. So long as she stays away, I have officially given up and beyond take advantage of the fact that she can man the front desk without me, I have nothing to do with her because I am constantly ignored. So screw it!
And yes, she is a hot point for me.
Anyway, that was the total extent of my viewing pleasure over the past few days. As cool as the sound track to my nephew's Hot Wheels movies are, that recollection is as far as I care to torture my memory. I have not really read anything. Mostly because I have not been home that long and I have been attempting to settle some arguments here at work before they get out of hand. That & I can't forget my 4 time a year meeting that I had last Wednesday. I wish I could, but amazingly some things were revealed and life was marginally simplified. I just had to spend the past few days explaining them to my more rigid thinkers here at work.
I sound like such as arrogant snot when I write this way. I honestly do not know how much of my opinion of the so-called locals is based on truth and on the fact that I am used to better. I have a long laundry list of reasons for why I have grave doubts about the talents, intelligence, education, and professionalism of many I deal with here, but how much is because I am just an arrogant snob with a mile wide streak of educational elitism thrown in for good measure?
There is a part of me that would like to be able to read other people's minds just so I could tell how my actions are viewed, but I am so grateful that I can't. I would hate to have my nose rubbed in the fact that there are people who see me as fat, lazy, inconsiderate, depressing, whatever. I mean, I can list of a long list of terms that while the degree could be argued, they do describe me. Arrogant is definitely among that list. But a lazy slob? That would probably devastate me.
Tangent off this, but what amazes me is how it is your family who influences your self-image the most. I know quite well where my low self image comes from, just as I know that the image my parents have of me is remarkably skewed. It is the main reason I am able to ignore a lot of their comments to help me improve myself. And that skewed version a parent develops of their child is 1 of the reasons I am against having children of my own. I know this is not a universal. I know that there are untold numbers of parents & their children who are able to grow together and see the changes in maturity and emotional depths in each other. However, in my family & in a lot of those families surrounding me, I see too many who no longer "see" one another.
EX: I know of 1 woman who is now in her 30's, married, successful government job, yet when she & her husband go to her parents, she sleeps with her parents & not her husband because that is where she has "always slept." I find it creepy, but that is how they interact. There is another woman who still carries her 10 year old son because he is "so sweet she just can't put him down." He is used to it, but rapidly getting tired of the jokes. My family is a hotbed of insanity. Like according to my parents, I am still 4'7", with curly hair thanks to that perm I had when I was in 6th grade, wear glasses all the time, and really need to work on finding clothes that fit because I am constantly outgrowing my shoes & clothes - as in they are too short, not too tight. They also really wish that I would wear more dresses because they get tired of always seeing me in shorts & flip flops.
I am 5'7", wear knee to floor length dresses & skirts 80% of the time, my hair is straight, in fact the last time I even had a perm was in the 6th grade, I wear contacts because I am afraid of the laser surgery & only rarely my glasses (usually at night at home watching movies), and it is a constant source of frustration that my parent's do not "see" me. My mother still makes comments about how I throw such terrible temper tantrums and how she gets so frustrated with dealing with me & my temper. I have a temper, no denying that or else I would not be ranting now, but when my evaluations all commend me for my even temper, tact, control and diplomacy, then I get confused.
Oh well. There are no real solutions & I know it. But going back to my refusal to ever have children, a lot of my refusal is based on how I was raised and how messed up I am. I have no desire to put a child through what I went through, even if it is diluted. I also would not want to bring children in to today's world because I at least find it to be too much, all the time.
Complete change in topic, but anyone reading this, what can you tell me about Fayetteville, NC? I am going to focus my job search for the next month there and any hints and suggestions are welcome.
Thursday, September 08, 2005
Thursday
I am pleased to announce the obvious. It is Thursday. FINALLY! For me, it means a long day at work (9 am - 8 pm + hr long drive 1 way) but once I get home, I have nothing to do until Saturday. I have very simple plans for my day off. Retail Therapy! Once I have accomplished the basic stuff, I am meeting exmi and going to see the intellectually stimulating film, Transporter 2. I am almost positive that I will walk out of the theater giggling because of the lack of anything resembling a plot or even acting, but what the hell. If I am lucky, there will be some cool fight scenes & maybe a few shots of Jason Statham's chest. After that, I will hit Wal-Mart & go home. Though I think some chinese might be interjected in there.
Other than that, I am soooo glad to be sleeping in my own bed again. I knew was tired. Sharing a bed with my sister is fine & dandy, but sleep is impossible for either of us. The term "cranky" comes to mind if we have to cope with each other too long. She has no problem with her dog sharing the room, but I have serious problems with it. It constantly amazes me how incredibly noisy a dog can be at night. The scratching. The jiggling tags. The wuffling. The sneezing. The nails clicking on the floor as the dog patrols the house several times at night. The cold nose and tongue swipes when a foot or hand dangles.
I have cats, OK? They might sneeze and they can definitely sound like a herd of cattle when they start running in their mini-rampages, but mine are all well trained. Ooops, they have me well trained. When the lights are out, we have our assigned places. I sleep with my back against the head board, comfortably sprawled amongst the various pillows. The cats have the foot of the bed. We share the covers and sometimes they sleep snuggled at my neck. They talk - a lot - but their idea of an active day is jumping onto the bed and maybe running to their litter box to check and see who is in there.
To add to the joy of sleeping in my own bed is the sheer mass of comfortable pillows. In my family (& circle of friends) I am the only person who has mounds of pillows throughout the house. I do not see why this is so unusual. Pillows are comfortable. They can be used in a myriad of ways. They keep my back from killing me like it is now after a week at my mothers.
Let me stress this again. Pillows are good. Pillows are your friend. You can never have enough pillows. Anything soft and comfy is a good thing to add to your home decor. And if you can, add it to your car. I am now starting to look for pillows for my small car. I like those new squishy pillows that are out now in various small sizes & bright colors. I think they will look good in my white Eagle Talon. Maybe bright pink & neon green?
Among other topics discussed at my mothers, the length of my hair was brought up several times. I have had my hair short numerous times over the years, and I just do not like it. Partially because it is higher maintenance and partially because the number of women asking me for dates increases in direct relation to the shortness of my hair. I have issues with that, so sue me. I do agree that as long as it currently is, the lack of any style what-so-ever is unflattering. Being the vain soul that I am, I figured a perm would be an option. There are problems with this idea though, and any solutions are appreciated.
The 1st problems is that I do not know anyone around here who perms hair. And the people I have seen and talked with can only recommend good people who cut hair, but no one knows of someone who is good at perms. The 2nd problem is that my hair "takes" incredibly well. As in, if I do not take care, I end up with a 'fro. I have some problems with that look in general, forget for myself. So it all sums up as I need a good hairdresser. I have tried all the tried & true methods of finding someone, but I am at a loss as to what to do now.
So exmi - ask your mom for me cause she is probably within ear shot if you are reading this.
Last night I watched the Bruce Willis flick Hostage. I should have gone to bed. It was interesting and all, but I was able to finish paying bills, sort laundry, eat dinner, unload & load the dish washer, get today's lunch ready, iron, go through a week's worth of mail, take care of some filing, and still manage to keep track of what was happening in the movie. And all things considered, it probably is for the best that I stayed up & took care of all these odds & ends because I slept through my alarm today & had 20 minutes to get pulled together & out the door. And since I only have 1 massive pulled back muscle instead of several knotted muscles, I think I needed that sleep.
I like Thursday afternoons. They are quiet here at work. If I am feeling anti-social I can indulge myself & hide in my office all day. Or, if I feel like wandering the building I can check the never ending supply of lists and feel like I am accomplishing something. Today, since standing back up after bending over to check a shelf leaves me feeling like I am about to pass out from pain, I think I will wrap up this post & go check emails. I sooo want a nap!
Other than that, I am soooo glad to be sleeping in my own bed again. I knew was tired. Sharing a bed with my sister is fine & dandy, but sleep is impossible for either of us. The term "cranky" comes to mind if we have to cope with each other too long. She has no problem with her dog sharing the room, but I have serious problems with it. It constantly amazes me how incredibly noisy a dog can be at night. The scratching. The jiggling tags. The wuffling. The sneezing. The nails clicking on the floor as the dog patrols the house several times at night. The cold nose and tongue swipes when a foot or hand dangles.
I have cats, OK? They might sneeze and they can definitely sound like a herd of cattle when they start running in their mini-rampages, but mine are all well trained. Ooops, they have me well trained. When the lights are out, we have our assigned places. I sleep with my back against the head board, comfortably sprawled amongst the various pillows. The cats have the foot of the bed. We share the covers and sometimes they sleep snuggled at my neck. They talk - a lot - but their idea of an active day is jumping onto the bed and maybe running to their litter box to check and see who is in there.
To add to the joy of sleeping in my own bed is the sheer mass of comfortable pillows. In my family (& circle of friends) I am the only person who has mounds of pillows throughout the house. I do not see why this is so unusual. Pillows are comfortable. They can be used in a myriad of ways. They keep my back from killing me like it is now after a week at my mothers.
Let me stress this again. Pillows are good. Pillows are your friend. You can never have enough pillows. Anything soft and comfy is a good thing to add to your home decor. And if you can, add it to your car. I am now starting to look for pillows for my small car. I like those new squishy pillows that are out now in various small sizes & bright colors. I think they will look good in my white Eagle Talon. Maybe bright pink & neon green?
Among other topics discussed at my mothers, the length of my hair was brought up several times. I have had my hair short numerous times over the years, and I just do not like it. Partially because it is higher maintenance and partially because the number of women asking me for dates increases in direct relation to the shortness of my hair. I have issues with that, so sue me. I do agree that as long as it currently is, the lack of any style what-so-ever is unflattering. Being the vain soul that I am, I figured a perm would be an option. There are problems with this idea though, and any solutions are appreciated.
The 1st problems is that I do not know anyone around here who perms hair. And the people I have seen and talked with can only recommend good people who cut hair, but no one knows of someone who is good at perms. The 2nd problem is that my hair "takes" incredibly well. As in, if I do not take care, I end up with a 'fro. I have some problems with that look in general, forget for myself. So it all sums up as I need a good hairdresser. I have tried all the tried & true methods of finding someone, but I am at a loss as to what to do now.
So exmi - ask your mom for me cause she is probably within ear shot if you are reading this.
Last night I watched the Bruce Willis flick Hostage. I should have gone to bed. It was interesting and all, but I was able to finish paying bills, sort laundry, eat dinner, unload & load the dish washer, get today's lunch ready, iron, go through a week's worth of mail, take care of some filing, and still manage to keep track of what was happening in the movie. And all things considered, it probably is for the best that I stayed up & took care of all these odds & ends because I slept through my alarm today & had 20 minutes to get pulled together & out the door. And since I only have 1 massive pulled back muscle instead of several knotted muscles, I think I needed that sleep.
I like Thursday afternoons. They are quiet here at work. If I am feeling anti-social I can indulge myself & hide in my office all day. Or, if I feel like wandering the building I can check the never ending supply of lists and feel like I am accomplishing something. Today, since standing back up after bending over to check a shelf leaves me feeling like I am about to pass out from pain, I think I will wrap up this post & go check emails. I sooo want a nap!
Tuesday, September 06, 2005
I'm Back!
I hope everyone had an excellent holiday. Compared to the refugees of Louisiana, I'd say that most reading this had a wonderful holiday. It will not stop any of us from bitching, but that is an inalienable right of being human.
I watched a lot of the coverage of the mop up & I find myself annoyed at the people screaming about how the federal government took too long to come in. I find that to be a load of crap. If you look at exmi's blog, there is a posting there that sums a lot of my opinion. To add to what he said, my biggest snarl's are at how so many say the gov't did not step in quickly enough.
What ever happened to common sense? There is a category 5 hurricane approaching your home. It is common knowledge that if you live in any part of Louisiana then your home is BELOW SEA LEVEL! The levee's are set up to withstand only up to a Cat. 3. This is also common knowledge. There has been a mandatory evacuation ordered, yet you stay behind. Now, common sense says that the shit is about to hit the fan so get out.
But obviously many did not. For whatever reason, thousands stayed. Now, when a mandatory evacuation is ordered, I would assume that means the mayor's, governor's and other state officials will order out the Guard & other officials to at least attempt to get as many out as possible who have no way to move themselves - bed ridden, the old, those in the hospitals, or just too poor. The bus lines would be utilized to cart people out. So what happened?
And then after Katrina hit, people expected to see helicopters and cops just swarming all over the place, helping rescue the poor idiots who stayed behind. HELLO! Reality check please! When there is no communication system available because it has been wiped out it is a bit difficult to coordinate anything.
I dare anyone to try and coordinate a family reunion with only the postal system. No phone. No email. No internet. No nothing. You can only use the postal system. Go on. I dare you. HA! And people expected the rescue efforts to fall in to place when there wasn't even a postal system!?!?!? Sheez!
Then the government can't just step in until asked to. Last time I checked, that was part of that political debate about state rights. That has not changed when I was looking now has it? Where is that line drawn? Remember? There is no fault for that but in people's choices. Personally, though it must seriously suck under these circumstances, I want it that way. I do not want the federal government stepping in on their whim. I agree that the fed. gov't has resources the state & local gov't can not afford, and it should be that way. But the fed. gov't should not use those resources except on a case by case basis and by invitation. Especially, as in this case, large chunks of the devastation of Katrina could have been avoided if the state & local gov't had actually done their job.
Then the next stage is that it takes time to get people & resources in place. I remember what Andrew & Hugo were like. Katrina made those look like sneezes in comparison. How can anyone expect big trucks of supplies to make it through long stretches of nonexistent roads in less than a day? It does not work that way. And has it escaped the collective consciousness of this country that Louisiana is a LARGE state? And Mississippi is another LARGE state? They may not compare to Texas, but they are larger than most European countries. And it was all of Louisiana that was damaged, not just New Orleans. There are entire communities that need to be rebuilt from the ground up. There are towns through out the state that are little more than kindling & GPS coordinates. They need rescue crews and aid just as much as New Orleans does.
Oh well. It will turn in to yet another finger pointing farce and life will continue onward. Enough of that rant.
Besides watching the news, I spent a lot of time cleaning and running errands. Piece of advice. Never help family members clean and/or rearrange. Murder develops into a feasible option rather quickly. And the only way to cope is to have screaming fits. NOT a good idea because this is a family member and they know where you live!
It really was not that bad. I am just a lot compulsive and I do not understand how my mother & sister can live with all the piles around them. There were/are piles of books, clean clothes, dirty clothes, dog towels, hand towels, papers, plastic baggies, books, VHS tapes, DVD's, stationary, photo albums, recipes, house decorations, curtains, blankets, and the list goes on. I can't live that way.
You have to understand. I am the type whose books are organized by type & author. My clothes are separated by type, function, & color. I am the person who buys separators for my pens and pencils, and my markers have their own bin in my desk. Vaguely unsettling, but I live alone for a reason. And I have cats to keep me from crossing completely into compulsive disorders.
Despite all these major differences, so long as we do not kill one another, I will be moving in sometime in November. Somehow, I am going to have to figure out how to fit all my stuff into 1 room and pack the rest up for storage. As a family, we need to go through multiple rooms and make everything fit. I am terrified.
To make it all really exciting, my 6 year old nephew is part of this equation and he does not understand why I can not watch his movies with him on demand. I try to indulge him as much as I can, but there is that point. (Parents reading this, any advice would be appreciated on this.) How can you explain to a 6 year old that, no, you really do not want to watch his Hot Wheels movie for the 10th time that day? And that while you appreciate the willingness to compromise, Bob the Builder is not something you want to see - again and again.
That was a large part of my weekend. I watched the 2 Hot Wheels movies - repeatedly. Again & again. Over & over again. Let me stress - there was a lot of repetition here. He adores these movies and knows them by heart down to the sound effects and how the drivers move. I was going insane. When not watching the Hot Wheels movies, I watched Disney's Tailspin. All 8 videos of it. If not that, then it was Bob The Builder. I have 1 more night of it this week & then I can return to being an adult again. My mind is official mush.
I got next to nothing accomplished this weekend & I am a month away from looking seriously for a place to move to. We were supposed to get stuff gathered up for trash & Good Will, rearrange the furniture, & get the 1 room started so I can move in this Thanksgiving. Instead, I ran errands at Lowes & Wal-Mart, took out the trash, watched the Hot Wheels movies again & again & again. Had a visit from my uncle, aunt, cousin & her husband. Then last night - at 5 pm mind you - we FINALLY started working on my future room and gathered bags & boxes of trash, boxes for good will, Mom's twin bed was disassembled & moved down to join the car seats, cribs & other stuff going to Good Will, and then we hauled the sofa bed back to Mom's room, set it up so that she could have room to sleep, & then we cleaned everything up so that we could go to bed ourselves. And we haven't even gotten half way in to the room!
How I am going to fit is beyond me. I know exmi is a patient soul & perfectly willing to let me rent as long as possible, but that is his home & I want asphalt again. I hate not knowing what to do! I hate having an easy job with great benefits that just does not pay enough. I hate dithering! Sooner or later I know everything will fall in to place, but waiting & trying to make it happen is so damn annoying. I am a few more "thank you but no thank you" letters from perspective jobs away from posting my resume & invite commentaries because these head hunters & resume professionals are turning out to be a waste of my limited time, money & patience.
Ah well. Time for me to go to work again. Till tomorrow!
I watched a lot of the coverage of the mop up & I find myself annoyed at the people screaming about how the federal government took too long to come in. I find that to be a load of crap. If you look at exmi's blog, there is a posting there that sums a lot of my opinion. To add to what he said, my biggest snarl's are at how so many say the gov't did not step in quickly enough.
What ever happened to common sense? There is a category 5 hurricane approaching your home. It is common knowledge that if you live in any part of Louisiana then your home is BELOW SEA LEVEL! The levee's are set up to withstand only up to a Cat. 3. This is also common knowledge. There has been a mandatory evacuation ordered, yet you stay behind. Now, common sense says that the shit is about to hit the fan so get out.
But obviously many did not. For whatever reason, thousands stayed. Now, when a mandatory evacuation is ordered, I would assume that means the mayor's, governor's and other state officials will order out the Guard & other officials to at least attempt to get as many out as possible who have no way to move themselves - bed ridden, the old, those in the hospitals, or just too poor. The bus lines would be utilized to cart people out. So what happened?
And then after Katrina hit, people expected to see helicopters and cops just swarming all over the place, helping rescue the poor idiots who stayed behind. HELLO! Reality check please! When there is no communication system available because it has been wiped out it is a bit difficult to coordinate anything.
I dare anyone to try and coordinate a family reunion with only the postal system. No phone. No email. No internet. No nothing. You can only use the postal system. Go on. I dare you. HA! And people expected the rescue efforts to fall in to place when there wasn't even a postal system!?!?!? Sheez!
Then the government can't just step in until asked to. Last time I checked, that was part of that political debate about state rights. That has not changed when I was looking now has it? Where is that line drawn? Remember? There is no fault for that but in people's choices. Personally, though it must seriously suck under these circumstances, I want it that way. I do not want the federal government stepping in on their whim. I agree that the fed. gov't has resources the state & local gov't can not afford, and it should be that way. But the fed. gov't should not use those resources except on a case by case basis and by invitation. Especially, as in this case, large chunks of the devastation of Katrina could have been avoided if the state & local gov't had actually done their job.
Then the next stage is that it takes time to get people & resources in place. I remember what Andrew & Hugo were like. Katrina made those look like sneezes in comparison. How can anyone expect big trucks of supplies to make it through long stretches of nonexistent roads in less than a day? It does not work that way. And has it escaped the collective consciousness of this country that Louisiana is a LARGE state? And Mississippi is another LARGE state? They may not compare to Texas, but they are larger than most European countries. And it was all of Louisiana that was damaged, not just New Orleans. There are entire communities that need to be rebuilt from the ground up. There are towns through out the state that are little more than kindling & GPS coordinates. They need rescue crews and aid just as much as New Orleans does.
Oh well. It will turn in to yet another finger pointing farce and life will continue onward. Enough of that rant.
Besides watching the news, I spent a lot of time cleaning and running errands. Piece of advice. Never help family members clean and/or rearrange. Murder develops into a feasible option rather quickly. And the only way to cope is to have screaming fits. NOT a good idea because this is a family member and they know where you live!
It really was not that bad. I am just a lot compulsive and I do not understand how my mother & sister can live with all the piles around them. There were/are piles of books, clean clothes, dirty clothes, dog towels, hand towels, papers, plastic baggies, books, VHS tapes, DVD's, stationary, photo albums, recipes, house decorations, curtains, blankets, and the list goes on. I can't live that way.
You have to understand. I am the type whose books are organized by type & author. My clothes are separated by type, function, & color. I am the person who buys separators for my pens and pencils, and my markers have their own bin in my desk. Vaguely unsettling, but I live alone for a reason. And I have cats to keep me from crossing completely into compulsive disorders.
Despite all these major differences, so long as we do not kill one another, I will be moving in sometime in November. Somehow, I am going to have to figure out how to fit all my stuff into 1 room and pack the rest up for storage. As a family, we need to go through multiple rooms and make everything fit. I am terrified.
To make it all really exciting, my 6 year old nephew is part of this equation and he does not understand why I can not watch his movies with him on demand. I try to indulge him as much as I can, but there is that point. (Parents reading this, any advice would be appreciated on this.) How can you explain to a 6 year old that, no, you really do not want to watch his Hot Wheels movie for the 10th time that day? And that while you appreciate the willingness to compromise, Bob the Builder is not something you want to see - again and again.
That was a large part of my weekend. I watched the 2 Hot Wheels movies - repeatedly. Again & again. Over & over again. Let me stress - there was a lot of repetition here. He adores these movies and knows them by heart down to the sound effects and how the drivers move. I was going insane. When not watching the Hot Wheels movies, I watched Disney's Tailspin. All 8 videos of it. If not that, then it was Bob The Builder. I have 1 more night of it this week & then I can return to being an adult again. My mind is official mush.
I got next to nothing accomplished this weekend & I am a month away from looking seriously for a place to move to. We were supposed to get stuff gathered up for trash & Good Will, rearrange the furniture, & get the 1 room started so I can move in this Thanksgiving. Instead, I ran errands at Lowes & Wal-Mart, took out the trash, watched the Hot Wheels movies again & again & again. Had a visit from my uncle, aunt, cousin & her husband. Then last night - at 5 pm mind you - we FINALLY started working on my future room and gathered bags & boxes of trash, boxes for good will, Mom's twin bed was disassembled & moved down to join the car seats, cribs & other stuff going to Good Will, and then we hauled the sofa bed back to Mom's room, set it up so that she could have room to sleep, & then we cleaned everything up so that we could go to bed ourselves. And we haven't even gotten half way in to the room!
How I am going to fit is beyond me. I know exmi is a patient soul & perfectly willing to let me rent as long as possible, but that is his home & I want asphalt again. I hate not knowing what to do! I hate having an easy job with great benefits that just does not pay enough. I hate dithering! Sooner or later I know everything will fall in to place, but waiting & trying to make it happen is so damn annoying. I am a few more "thank you but no thank you" letters from perspective jobs away from posting my resume & invite commentaries because these head hunters & resume professionals are turning out to be a waste of my limited time, money & patience.
Ah well. Time for me to go to work again. Till tomorrow!
Thursday, September 01, 2005
Yipppie!
HeHeHe! It is now 5 p.m. and in an hour, most of which I intend to kill by reading & writing, I am on vacation! I am taking an extra day & while I am going to be working and having to help entertain family, I WILL NOT BE AT WORK!!!!! I am absolutely thrilled!
I have lists forming right now of all that needs to be done before my uncle & at least 1 cousin show up at my mom's, but it is going to be nice not to have to do anything but boss my sister around because I am in charge of getting the place clean. FINALLY! It has driven me bonkers because my sister misses those clumps of dog hair that gather in corners and the organ my great grandfather bought as a wedding anniversary gift has not been dusted or truly polished in months. So I get to indulge my compulsive disorder to the max this weekend.
The fights are going to be truly fantastic. Oh well. If experience holds true, nothing will really be accomplished beyond getting to Wal-Mart, taking my sister to get her hair cut, and lots of puttering around the house.
Everyone reading this, wish exmi luck because he is the one who listens over a bowl of chocolate as I go into great detail why my family is insane. I love them and would never trade them, but we are all ready for some serious therapy. I try to get really good chocolate ice cream so that he can comfortably phase out as I rant.
Changing subjects, but I just helped an individual who is absolutely rancid. I do not care how poor you are. You need water to survive. No one will ever be able to convince me that they can not afford to take a freaking bath/shower. I have worked with people living in buildings made from the cheap press board and painted with tar, yet that family was 1 of the cleanest I have ever come across. Their bathing facilities consisted of a shower curtain held up by strings wrapped around some convenient trees and a hose attached to the only water source -- an outdoor spigot. So how can someone living like that be cleaner and fresher smelling than someone I know has a decent job and a real home that does not use duct tape to hold the walls together? Please, someone, explain this mystery to me.
And yes, cleanliness is a major issue with me. I can't stand to smell people under most circumstances, so when a person comes in to my workplace reeking of B.O. or their preferred perfume or cologne, I get a bit testy. That smell lingers in a closed environment like this.
Life marches on & closing time is a bit closer. I can't wait!
Something else I wish to have explained. Why has droopy pants stayed as a fashion statement? I know how I feel when my clothes start to sag. I can't stand the feel of the crotch of my pants, shorts, whatever being so far down that I can feel it and have to hike them up. So how can these people tolerate the crotch of their jeans between their knees? And doesn't the waist rub when the jeans ride on your hips? Isn't there a level of paranoia that the jeans will go ahead and fall down at any moment? I certainly could not stand it. I can see many who seem to revel in it, but its enough to have me boggled.
Next I have a technical question. But how can I load some videos on to this blog? I have been trying to figure it out and failing miserably. Some pointers would be appreciated.
I have lists forming right now of all that needs to be done before my uncle & at least 1 cousin show up at my mom's, but it is going to be nice not to have to do anything but boss my sister around because I am in charge of getting the place clean. FINALLY! It has driven me bonkers because my sister misses those clumps of dog hair that gather in corners and the organ my great grandfather bought as a wedding anniversary gift has not been dusted or truly polished in months. So I get to indulge my compulsive disorder to the max this weekend.
The fights are going to be truly fantastic. Oh well. If experience holds true, nothing will really be accomplished beyond getting to Wal-Mart, taking my sister to get her hair cut, and lots of puttering around the house.
Everyone reading this, wish exmi luck because he is the one who listens over a bowl of chocolate as I go into great detail why my family is insane. I love them and would never trade them, but we are all ready for some serious therapy. I try to get really good chocolate ice cream so that he can comfortably phase out as I rant.
Changing subjects, but I just helped an individual who is absolutely rancid. I do not care how poor you are. You need water to survive. No one will ever be able to convince me that they can not afford to take a freaking bath/shower. I have worked with people living in buildings made from the cheap press board and painted with tar, yet that family was 1 of the cleanest I have ever come across. Their bathing facilities consisted of a shower curtain held up by strings wrapped around some convenient trees and a hose attached to the only water source -- an outdoor spigot. So how can someone living like that be cleaner and fresher smelling than someone I know has a decent job and a real home that does not use duct tape to hold the walls together? Please, someone, explain this mystery to me.
And yes, cleanliness is a major issue with me. I can't stand to smell people under most circumstances, so when a person comes in to my workplace reeking of B.O. or their preferred perfume or cologne, I get a bit testy. That smell lingers in a closed environment like this.
Life marches on & closing time is a bit closer. I can't wait!
Something else I wish to have explained. Why has droopy pants stayed as a fashion statement? I know how I feel when my clothes start to sag. I can't stand the feel of the crotch of my pants, shorts, whatever being so far down that I can feel it and have to hike them up. So how can these people tolerate the crotch of their jeans between their knees? And doesn't the waist rub when the jeans ride on your hips? Isn't there a level of paranoia that the jeans will go ahead and fall down at any moment? I certainly could not stand it. I can see many who seem to revel in it, but its enough to have me boggled.
Next I have a technical question. But how can I load some videos on to this blog? I have been trying to figure it out and failing miserably. Some pointers would be appreciated.
Wednesday, August 31, 2005
What NOT To Say To A Family Member
Last night, after laughing at my up close & personal encounter with fish guts, my mom was her usual loving self, and my sister backed her up on this. According to my loving mother and supportive sister, I need to start walking more because all those years at the gym made my butt too big and I really could stand to lose some more weight.
Now, while I admit that I agree I need to lose at least 10, preferably 20 lbs, hearing that was NOT something I appreciated. Especially since I have already lost 20 lbs. over the past 4 months! And they never even noticed! Sheez! Granted, the weight was lost because I stopped lifting weights and hurting myself at the gym. Cracked bones are not something I enjoyed enough to recommend. Then once I could walk again, I started walking with sprints mixed in and devoted more time to yoga, but that's a small comfort.
Oh well. At least I know that I am on track because my legs are no longer "so lumpy looking." And the tape measure has recorded a nice 1 inch drop in my hips and 2 inches of my waist so I guess I can't complain too much. Besides, my butt is too big.
So I guess now I need to pre-apologize to everyone who has to live with me because I am now going to be even more fanatical about dropping the next 10-20 lbs. and holidays are coming up. So please forgive me for being a food nazi! I will try and remember to eat occasionally. Maybe.
All right, who am I trying to kid? I will end up having to hire someone to make sure I eat at least 1 meal a day that resembles food and not a slimfast shake. I really have to start writing if only to make sure I eat. Cause I hate cooking and the food part of my grocery list is rather short & definitely repetitive. It consists of soy chocolate milk, slim fast fudge chocolate shake mix, cranberry juice, lemon juice, sunflower seeds, sugar, tea, turkey and/or veggie burgers, bagged spinach salad, ginger salad dressing, & anything that looks good veggie wise. Total extent of my food shopping.
Yup. I need a personal chef. Either that or move some place where I can get something I like to eat already made.
Ugh. I just finished a gossip session with 1 of our regular patrons. Gas prices are $3.00 even for the cheap stuff. A motorcycle is sounding better & better. Though I would probably be road pizza in less than a week. Oh, and the other bit of happy news - there will be a gas shortage soon!
According to what I have been told by the local NPR news listeners, fuel is going to be shipped to the hurricane ravaged areas from the east coast. Guess where I live? This is going to really suck. I can not think of any level of society beyond the truly wealthy that this will not have a negative impact on, and even with the truly wealthy, they will find it harder & harder to indulge themselves quite so shamelessly because people will be seriously jacking the prices up to cover the shortfall in other areas. This is going to hurt.
Right now I am smiling my way through a description of 1 man's trip to a Promise Keeper revival. 1st off, let me say that I do not care what a person's choices are 1 way or the other. They are exactly that - another person's choice. But in this case, this man has made a special trip to tell me all about how God helped him, and how God reached him, and how grateful he was that God was able to let him connect to other men whom share his feeling of closeness with God.
I have just finished reading the CNN articles of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. The people there, residents, rescue workers, everyone, have my sympathy and prayers. The pictures I have seen are of absolute devastation. I am so glad that I am here with my life and problems because 1 option is to be there and know that everything is gone. I could not cope. Rebuilding is going to be horrible there and I have no idea how they are going to manage everything. I am praying for them, but this is not going to be a good experience for anyone in this country, especially the people of Louisiana.
Now, while I admit that I agree I need to lose at least 10, preferably 20 lbs, hearing that was NOT something I appreciated. Especially since I have already lost 20 lbs. over the past 4 months! And they never even noticed! Sheez! Granted, the weight was lost because I stopped lifting weights and hurting myself at the gym. Cracked bones are not something I enjoyed enough to recommend. Then once I could walk again, I started walking with sprints mixed in and devoted more time to yoga, but that's a small comfort.
Oh well. At least I know that I am on track because my legs are no longer "so lumpy looking." And the tape measure has recorded a nice 1 inch drop in my hips and 2 inches of my waist so I guess I can't complain too much. Besides, my butt is too big.
So I guess now I need to pre-apologize to everyone who has to live with me because I am now going to be even more fanatical about dropping the next 10-20 lbs. and holidays are coming up. So please forgive me for being a food nazi! I will try and remember to eat occasionally. Maybe.
All right, who am I trying to kid? I will end up having to hire someone to make sure I eat at least 1 meal a day that resembles food and not a slimfast shake. I really have to start writing if only to make sure I eat. Cause I hate cooking and the food part of my grocery list is rather short & definitely repetitive. It consists of soy chocolate milk, slim fast fudge chocolate shake mix, cranberry juice, lemon juice, sunflower seeds, sugar, tea, turkey and/or veggie burgers, bagged spinach salad, ginger salad dressing, & anything that looks good veggie wise. Total extent of my food shopping.
Yup. I need a personal chef. Either that or move some place where I can get something I like to eat already made.
Ugh. I just finished a gossip session with 1 of our regular patrons. Gas prices are $3.00 even for the cheap stuff. A motorcycle is sounding better & better. Though I would probably be road pizza in less than a week. Oh, and the other bit of happy news - there will be a gas shortage soon!
According to what I have been told by the local NPR news listeners, fuel is going to be shipped to the hurricane ravaged areas from the east coast. Guess where I live? This is going to really suck. I can not think of any level of society beyond the truly wealthy that this will not have a negative impact on, and even with the truly wealthy, they will find it harder & harder to indulge themselves quite so shamelessly because people will be seriously jacking the prices up to cover the shortfall in other areas. This is going to hurt.
Right now I am smiling my way through a description of 1 man's trip to a Promise Keeper revival. 1st off, let me say that I do not care what a person's choices are 1 way or the other. They are exactly that - another person's choice. But in this case, this man has made a special trip to tell me all about how God helped him, and how God reached him, and how grateful he was that God was able to let him connect to other men whom share his feeling of closeness with God.
I have just finished reading the CNN articles of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. The people there, residents, rescue workers, everyone, have my sympathy and prayers. The pictures I have seen are of absolute devastation. I am so glad that I am here with my life and problems because 1 option is to be there and know that everything is gone. I could not cope. Rebuilding is going to be horrible there and I have no idea how they are going to manage everything. I am praying for them, but this is not going to be a good experience for anyone in this country, especially the people of Louisiana.
Tuesday, August 30, 2005
Today Is VASTLY Improved
It has been a much better day today. Once I got home last night, I took a shower, had a MASSIVE bowl of Breyer's chocolate fudge brownie ice cream, took another shower, and went to bed. Life is improved after yesterdays debacle. Now I just need to get a massage because my back is killing me. Could be because I landed hard on a bunch of fish guts yesterday, but who knows? At least I can now see the humor in yesterdays events.
EXMI has recently posted about his pond. Here is my point of view. Having land, with or without a pond, sucks. I know that many many people feel that owning a chunk of land and having privacy is wonderful. I can agree with the perspective. However, my ideal would be a two-story townhouse with a small enclosed patio I can have a container garden on and that is it. Having land means real work. Cut the grass. Weed the flower beds. Worry about the roof during storms. Fuss with repairmen and delivery men when anything breaks. I do not want to do any of that. I want to pick up the phone, report that the toilet is leaking or my door knob is stuck, and then go to the movies. When I get back, it is fixed! That is my personal ideal.
I have developed a serious hatred of living in locations where there are more dead frogs and possums than there is asphalt. I want to live some day in a place with seasons. I do not want 9 month summers or winters. I want 6 months of summer, 6 months of winter, 3 months of spring, and 3 months of fall. I want a location where I can buy meals already made up that cater to my allergies and tastes. I am NOT a fan of bar-b-que, pork rinds, grits, or deep fried anything. My tastes lean more towards fruits and veggies, with international cooking (mandarin chinese, mongolian, indonesian, brazilian, etc.) all favorites of mine because they do rely heavily on fruits and veggies. I know that I am dreaming, but I am definitely tired of the great southern experience. Time to move on.
Oh well. Time for something more positive. Like this is a short week! I have this Friday through Monday off, and then I only work 3 days next week! Yippie!
The downside (mostly so no one hates me) is that starting Saturday the 10th, I work every day that week, including Sunday. I will be a wee bit fried. Fortunately, I don't do a thing here at work. I spend time using the computer to complete inventory, and Thursday afternoon I will be doing the monthly reports, but that is my entire agenda for the next month. Stressful life I have. No wonder so many bizarre things happen to me. Nothing else does.
September will be another month that speeds by. In my personal life, I will be running errands, dealing with lawyers, packing, and generally going insane. Why? Because Christmas is coming up and that is a holiday that takes forever to plan for. I look forward to the day I do not have to ever worry about getting gifts, choosing items appropriate for my staff and supervisors, getting themed material picked out and placed, and generally wondering how I am going to avoid the blood bath that comes from competing mothers on the eternal quest to have everything perfect for their little ones.
Right now I am looking out the window and feeling grateful that I am inside. Thanks to the location, we are getting several really bad storms and tornadoes. Currently, it is pouring rain and windy enough that the rain is coming down sideways. Driving in this is not going to be fun. but it is neat to watch. Last night, I drove home in a similar storm. It was rather neat because the lightening was beyond beautiful. The wind was another matter, but can't have everything.
If I ever do get a different job, it is going to be a massive shock to my system. Most days I play a lot and mix in a little bit of work for variety. If I change jobs, I am going to actually have to work! Actually check my professional email, keep a real appointment calendar and actually be prepared for meetings and to participate intelligently. Now, my only meeting is held every 3 months and all I have to do is show up with my name tag on. It has a certain level of lazy appeal, but it has bypassed the level of boredom. I am just dreading the day I actually have to perform and actually produce something.
I think it is time to start writing those romance novels. Otherwise I will need to get a real job and actually have to be on time and other horrors. I do not need a lot of money to pay my bills after all. I just have to figure out that health insurance bit. Now all I have to do is actually start writing. Sigh.
Changing subjects, but this weather and all the storms are going to be causing some serious havoc for the near future. I drove home in 1 yesterday. There was an "almost" tornado down the road from work I just found out. And Katrina is not exactly disappearing from the weather maps I have seen.
Oh well. It is 5:20 and I am bailing out early-ish. Till tomorrow's posting!
EXMI has recently posted about his pond. Here is my point of view. Having land, with or without a pond, sucks. I know that many many people feel that owning a chunk of land and having privacy is wonderful. I can agree with the perspective. However, my ideal would be a two-story townhouse with a small enclosed patio I can have a container garden on and that is it. Having land means real work. Cut the grass. Weed the flower beds. Worry about the roof during storms. Fuss with repairmen and delivery men when anything breaks. I do not want to do any of that. I want to pick up the phone, report that the toilet is leaking or my door knob is stuck, and then go to the movies. When I get back, it is fixed! That is my personal ideal.
I have developed a serious hatred of living in locations where there are more dead frogs and possums than there is asphalt. I want to live some day in a place with seasons. I do not want 9 month summers or winters. I want 6 months of summer, 6 months of winter, 3 months of spring, and 3 months of fall. I want a location where I can buy meals already made up that cater to my allergies and tastes. I am NOT a fan of bar-b-que, pork rinds, grits, or deep fried anything. My tastes lean more towards fruits and veggies, with international cooking (mandarin chinese, mongolian, indonesian, brazilian, etc.) all favorites of mine because they do rely heavily on fruits and veggies. I know that I am dreaming, but I am definitely tired of the great southern experience. Time to move on.
Oh well. Time for something more positive. Like this is a short week! I have this Friday through Monday off, and then I only work 3 days next week! Yippie!
The downside (mostly so no one hates me) is that starting Saturday the 10th, I work every day that week, including Sunday. I will be a wee bit fried. Fortunately, I don't do a thing here at work. I spend time using the computer to complete inventory, and Thursday afternoon I will be doing the monthly reports, but that is my entire agenda for the next month. Stressful life I have. No wonder so many bizarre things happen to me. Nothing else does.
September will be another month that speeds by. In my personal life, I will be running errands, dealing with lawyers, packing, and generally going insane. Why? Because Christmas is coming up and that is a holiday that takes forever to plan for. I look forward to the day I do not have to ever worry about getting gifts, choosing items appropriate for my staff and supervisors, getting themed material picked out and placed, and generally wondering how I am going to avoid the blood bath that comes from competing mothers on the eternal quest to have everything perfect for their little ones.
Right now I am looking out the window and feeling grateful that I am inside. Thanks to the location, we are getting several really bad storms and tornadoes. Currently, it is pouring rain and windy enough that the rain is coming down sideways. Driving in this is not going to be fun. but it is neat to watch. Last night, I drove home in a similar storm. It was rather neat because the lightening was beyond beautiful. The wind was another matter, but can't have everything.
If I ever do get a different job, it is going to be a massive shock to my system. Most days I play a lot and mix in a little bit of work for variety. If I change jobs, I am going to actually have to work! Actually check my professional email, keep a real appointment calendar and actually be prepared for meetings and to participate intelligently. Now, my only meeting is held every 3 months and all I have to do is show up with my name tag on. It has a certain level of lazy appeal, but it has bypassed the level of boredom. I am just dreading the day I actually have to perform and actually produce something.
I think it is time to start writing those romance novels. Otherwise I will need to get a real job and actually have to be on time and other horrors. I do not need a lot of money to pay my bills after all. I just have to figure out that health insurance bit. Now all I have to do is actually start writing. Sigh.
Changing subjects, but this weather and all the storms are going to be causing some serious havoc for the near future. I drove home in 1 yesterday. There was an "almost" tornado down the road from work I just found out. And Katrina is not exactly disappearing from the weather maps I have seen.
Oh well. It is 5:20 and I am bailing out early-ish. Till tomorrow's posting!
Monday, August 29, 2005
Today Sucks
I did have other topics I wanted to write about today, but well . . . Today officially sucks. I might write about the other stuff later today, but not now.
I was walking this morning and mixing it up with some sprints when a truck came by. This is nothing unusual. However, the spot the truck and I intersected was a creek that had washed away the road. The county had dumped a bunch of red clay to fill it in. Last night it rained.
Can you guess where I am going with this? And you want to know the real kicker?
This is where someone fishes and leaves the remnant's in a pile. Guess what happened when the truck drove by and I stepped to the side to give him room to pass. You're right! I slipped and fell flat on my back in the stinking mess. I had fish guts and Georgia clay in my hair. My day took a sudden nose dive at that point.
The poor guy felt awful and offered to drive me home, but I was a bit pissed so I thanked him and sent him off. I walked home, stinking and slimey. And lets not forget, I had fish guts and Georgia clay in my hair.
I took a shower and cleaned the shower immediately after getting home. I then managed to get some breakfast, but my slim fast lunch ended up all over the kitchen cupboards, wall, floor, microwave, stove, fridge, toaster oven, and oh, yeah, me. I took another shower and cried.
I figure that by tomorrow I will see the humor in this. Right now, my jaw is clenched, neck is tight, and I am ready to cry buckets - preferably while taking a 3rd shower.
I need to apply for jobs but I think I will wait until tomorrow when today is funny. Today is complete sucky. Can I go home yet?
I was walking this morning and mixing it up with some sprints when a truck came by. This is nothing unusual. However, the spot the truck and I intersected was a creek that had washed away the road. The county had dumped a bunch of red clay to fill it in. Last night it rained.
Can you guess where I am going with this? And you want to know the real kicker?
This is where someone fishes and leaves the remnant's in a pile. Guess what happened when the truck drove by and I stepped to the side to give him room to pass. You're right! I slipped and fell flat on my back in the stinking mess. I had fish guts and Georgia clay in my hair. My day took a sudden nose dive at that point.
The poor guy felt awful and offered to drive me home, but I was a bit pissed so I thanked him and sent him off. I walked home, stinking and slimey. And lets not forget, I had fish guts and Georgia clay in my hair.
I took a shower and cleaned the shower immediately after getting home. I then managed to get some breakfast, but my slim fast lunch ended up all over the kitchen cupboards, wall, floor, microwave, stove, fridge, toaster oven, and oh, yeah, me. I took another shower and cried.
I figure that by tomorrow I will see the humor in this. Right now, my jaw is clenched, neck is tight, and I am ready to cry buckets - preferably while taking a 3rd shower.
I need to apply for jobs but I think I will wait until tomorrow when today is funny. Today is complete sucky. Can I go home yet?
Hey, I was tagged!
Hey, I was tagged and didn't even know it. I feel loved!! I love these! I welcome them in fact! ;-)
7 things I plan to do before I die:
1. Move to my dream condo some place around TN
2.Go to New Zealand
3. Get to my goal weight
4. Get my finances in order
5. Finish my novel
6. Go on an African Safari
7. Find a job that will allow me the time to have a dog
7 things I can do:
1. Answer almost any question about fiction books
2. Organize anything into submission
3. Write
4. Clean just about anything from an engine to a cat
5. type with 3 fingers
6. hold conversations in my sleep
7. read a 400 page book in 3 hours or less
7 things I can't do:
1. Sing
2. Speak a foreign language
3. Play sports
4. Stop being so emotional
5. Not care about animals
6. Cope with stupidity
7. Jog
7 things I'm attracted to in the opposite sex:
1. Sense of humor
2. Love of animals
3. Deep, husky voice
4. Intelligent
5. Likes to cuddle
6. Doesn't want to grow up, but still knows when to be an adult
7. Emotionally grounded
7 things I say most often:
1. "Hello"
2. "Can I help you?"
3. "What's up?"
4. "I don't understand?!?!?!"
5. "Uh huh."
6. "Sh*t"
7. "OWW! FUCK!!!"
7 celebrity crushes:
1. Viggo Mortenson
2. Patrick Stewart
3. Jason Statham
4. Harison Ford
5. Rutger Hauer
6. Brad Pitt
7. ????????
7 people to take this quiz:
1. exmi
2. kls1221
3. mental meanderings
4. must be tuesday
5. to read or die
6. zombie slayer
7.zombie lama
7 things I plan to do before I die:
1. Move to my dream condo some place around TN
2.Go to New Zealand
3. Get to my goal weight
4. Get my finances in order
5. Finish my novel
6. Go on an African Safari
7. Find a job that will allow me the time to have a dog
7 things I can do:
1. Answer almost any question about fiction books
2. Organize anything into submission
3. Write
4. Clean just about anything from an engine to a cat
5. type with 3 fingers
6. hold conversations in my sleep
7. read a 400 page book in 3 hours or less
7 things I can't do:
1. Sing
2. Speak a foreign language
3. Play sports
4. Stop being so emotional
5. Not care about animals
6. Cope with stupidity
7. Jog
7 things I'm attracted to in the opposite sex:
1. Sense of humor
2. Love of animals
3. Deep, husky voice
4. Intelligent
5. Likes to cuddle
6. Doesn't want to grow up, but still knows when to be an adult
7. Emotionally grounded
7 things I say most often:
1. "Hello"
2. "Can I help you?"
3. "What's up?"
4. "I don't understand?!?!?!"
5. "Uh huh."
6. "Sh*t"
7. "OWW! FUCK!!!"
7 celebrity crushes:
1. Viggo Mortenson
2. Patrick Stewart
3. Jason Statham
4. Harison Ford
5. Rutger Hauer
6. Brad Pitt
7. ????????
7 people to take this quiz:
1. exmi
2. kls1221
3. mental meanderings
4. must be tuesday
5. to read or die
6. zombie slayer
7.zombie lama
Saturday, August 27, 2005
This Is What Happens When I Think & Drive
Yesterday I had my rotating Friday off so I ran errands. Probably the biggest being grocery shopping since I have managed to eat everything in the house and have nothing but empty, dusty cupboards.
But while driving around my brain was unusually active and came up with an interesting train of thought. This all makes a weird sort of sense, but as I review it, I can tell where I had to stop for a red light and when I was waiting at "X."
I started of my driving by remembering all the reasons I am supposed to like this town and ended up reviewing memorable moments. One is an evil moment in my life. The day started off in its normal way. Class and work, and generally being grateful it was the weekend. My beloved roommate and I had been invited to a BYOB party. We were among the select who would be given alcohol because I had been an idiot and agreed to be the model for our hosts latest artistic effort. It is was a rather unusual moment in my life. Being smeared from the neck down in vaseline, covered in a granny gown, bending backwards, latching onto the bottom of a box spring mattress, and then staying that way as cold, wet, dripping pieces of cloth soaked in plaster of paris are draped over me in a nice hot sunny room - and then staying that way until the plaster set - is a memory I will feel for the next few decades.
At the party, we indulged in a delightful mix involving watermelons. I honestly have no memory what else was thrown in that blender, but my true appreciation for watermelon stems from this night. Anyway, we drank way too much and there was no way either of us was going to walk, let alone drive, any where. So my roommate poured me in to bed after my normal 3 drinks and then sat down for a long conversation with our host. Eventually, they both joined me.
Keep your minds out of the gutter. We were all fully clothed and I at least was completely wasted. I never have had a tolerance for alcohol and I had definitely had way too much that night. My usual limit is a glass of wine and THAT makes me tipsy, all right? And besides, it was our hosts bed that I was past out in & I was doing my best drooling log impression in the center. They used me as a divider and went to sleep themselves.
The evilness began several hours later when our hosts girlfriend walks in to find the 3 of us all snuggled together under the covers. I can still remember the wide eyed, tight lipped look on her face and how she asked if she could speak to him in the living room. Since I was currently at the bottom of this pile of puppies, I can only imagine how it looked to her, but it sure wasn't good. Especially since there was an industrial size container of vaseline sitting open - and obviously well used - on the bedside table.
So, after some fumbling around, he left to calm her down. My roommie & I came out from under the covers, got freshened up, and followed. Since she was gone by the time we ambled downstairs, the 3 of us went to Waffle House for a late brunch. We were teasing the poor guy unmercifully, digging for the juicy gossip, when SHE walks in the door. Well, my roommie has a wonderful flair for acting and she decided to feed the poor girls worst impressions. I, being the willing participant that I can be, caught on remarkably quickly considering how hung over I was, and joined in.
The most beautiful moment was when my roommie kept fidgeting in the seat and remarked how she kept sliding because the vaseline was smeared all over her ass. My follow up was a snicker and something about how it was going to be impossible to get out of our hair. Soon after that, the poor soon-to-be-ex girlfriend left and never came back. Our host just kept eating and never even bothered to shrug. I always wondered what happened between them, but he soon graduated and went to Atlanta for a job.
From there, I went to an even older memory about how my undergraduate fiance became my ex. I'm not sure how my train of thought went on this, but I guess its the relationship between humorous pains in the ass moments. The poor guy was just being himself when I realized there was no way in hell I would marry him. I know that I was doing an excellent impression of an emotional ostrich through the entirety of our relationship, but I had not realized how far into the ground I had buried myself.
We were at his parents, discussing our upcoming nuptials when I found out that my parents would have no role in my wedding. For some reason I was a bit taken aback by this statement and I know his mother was as well. It was about a month after that conversation that I finally had enough and said goodbye. It took another 2 years for him to realize I was serious. I take responsibility for that. I never sat down with him and just told him the flat out, ugly truth. I hate doing that under any circumstances and after 5 years of sleeping through sex, I realized that I could not keep ignoring the issues. So I ignored him instead and never responded to most of his attempts to communicate, beyond whining to anyone and everyone about his cards and how they were really over the top. Eventually he did find someone and married her. My life has been vastly improved since then.
Then I went to the idea that my allergies really make it impossible for me to keep living here, or to move to a large city. I am by nature not the sort to go bed hopping, but thanks to the fact that I am allergic to latex, - and a rash "down there" is not a good thing, ya know? - the number of reasons to avoid bars and be anything but 1 of those ridiculous born again virgins keeps increasing. It is bad enough that I live in a college town and have been there and done the college experience, but I am not after my Mrs. degree either. I keep trying to think of how to find someone who will be little more than a fuck buddy, but since it is not a thought that I devote a lot of time and attention to, my ideas are fairly limited.
I am not going to start bed hopping. Mostly because I am not the type, but also because 1) I am not going to demand 3 separate physical exams from anyone just so I can get laid; 2) my allergies require that I do ask for physician clearance cause a rash is not on any of my preferred lists; 3) I have read too many true crime/horror/thriller novels and my luck tends towards freaks so between my imagination and luck, I have trust issues; and 4) my tastes are a bit on the perverse side and that falls under the trust issues again.
I kind of envy those who are willing to trust to luck that whomever they end up in bed with that night is not only going to be good, but is going to be sane and physically healthy. My luck has been strange enough that, mixed with what I have read, I am not sure what it would take for me to be receptive. And there are days like the past 2 when a night of mindless fucking sounds really appealing.
Days like yesterday while driving around when all I really wanted to think about was the feel of a man's shoulders under my hands, and the sensation of being kissed and the list goes on. Thinking about sex while driving is really the only way I keep myself entertained when I forget my CD's, a book on CD, or even worse, there is nothing on the radio. And it really does not help that I am bored here at work and have nothing to do till next Wednesday. Oh well. I will keep this posting as close to PG as I can. Not as if I am going to actually say yes to anyone. Though I have to wonder if a trip to 1 of the local bars in Savannah were the military hangs out would be worth the effort. ;-)
This is the point when I had the blindingly obvious revelation that it is fear that drives so many to marry during their high school and college years. Fear of being alone and never getting laid. I have never understood this fear because I like being alone. I like not having to worry about morning breath or any of the like. I can't even understand why the fear of never getting laid is so looming because while I have had some absolutely incredible sex, I have also had a sex were I literally slept through it.
And what is the deal with having children? That is another subject that I can't understand. I have heard all the reasons given forth about caring on a heritage/name/tradition, wanting to know that there is a new person that you created who makes up you and your spouse, wanting a child desperately, etc. But I do not understand bankrupting yourself or making yourself look like a fool over marriage or kids. But in my blinding moment of revealing the obvious, part of it seems to be some form of fear of being alone. Why it has taken me so long to reach this obvious revelation is beyond me, but there you have it.
And then, I got home and had to put groceries away, feed the animals, gripe about how I need to really clean, and finally get something to eat.
That is when I started watching movies and reading. I watched The Transporter first. I love that movie, mainly because that is a man I can watch over and over again. The fact that it is a fun flick is the other reason I appreciate the flick. Because I have seen the movie a few dozen times, I read a romance novel by Jayne Ann Krentz - Shield's Lady. Typical romance and if you like the genre, she is 1 of my favorite light reading authors.
I then put in The Wedding Date. Do not waste your time. It was a cute movie but I am so glad that I got it from work for free. There were several cute moments, but I read The Never War, Book 3 of the Pendragon Series by D. J. MacHale. That is a series for those who appreciate Zelany's onion theory of reality. It is not as complex as Zelany's Amber series by any means, and there is a definite right from wrong theme, but the stories are fun and the situations are hard to determine what the right choice is. From this 1, the main character has the chance to alter history and either make WWII worse than it was or never happen. All it takes is 1 simple decision.
In his shoes, I don't know if I could have even made the decision.
Once I finished the movie, rather than listen to the music play over and over again, I decided to put in the Bollywood version of Pride and Prejudice - Bride and Prejudice. I had no idea I would love this movie as much as I do. The music, the general level of fun, the costumes, all added up to a movie I will end up eventually adding to my personal collection because it really was a fun, clean movie based on 1 of my favorite novels. The fact that it was kept clean actually added to the appeal for me. Cripes, the closest they came to kissing is when 1 of the men kissed a woman's hand or forehead. As sweet as the kisses on the forehead are, a kiss on the palm of the hand is incredibly romantic and erotic if done right.
About half way through this, exmi showed up with Chinese for dinner. We watched the rest of the movie and he laughed at my girlie girl gushing.
Then we had a complete change. We popped in Sin City. Does "WHOA!" mean anything to anyone? Do not get me wrong. I like the movie. Tarantino is 1 of my favorite's. There was not a moment of the movie that did not have me on the edge of my seat. My eyes frequently went buggy. But wowsers! Some of the scenes went beyond disturbing and straight into Lovecraft-type horror. Zombie Slayer has a review that gives more credit details, and he had a vastly different appreciation for some of the actresses than I did. What I found truly fascinating though was the lighting/special effects. The way the eyes were dramatized was incredible. If you will pardon the pun, the eye for detail was impressive.
By this point it was after 11 and since I need sleep if I am to get through work, he went home and I crashed. My dreams were rather screwy but I can't remember them at all. Thank God.
The last bit of trivia for today's post comes from this mornings drive to work. I listen to NPR in the morning. This morning they had a piece on a kids book I am putting in to Acquisitions here at work, and suggesting to several teachers and home school parents for young kids. My Body Works story on NPR is the link if anyone is interested. The bit I heard sounded like a good resource for parents and teachers, and makes me wish there was a way to have them come to local schools here.
But while driving around my brain was unusually active and came up with an interesting train of thought. This all makes a weird sort of sense, but as I review it, I can tell where I had to stop for a red light and when I was waiting at "X."
I started of my driving by remembering all the reasons I am supposed to like this town and ended up reviewing memorable moments. One is an evil moment in my life. The day started off in its normal way. Class and work, and generally being grateful it was the weekend. My beloved roommate and I had been invited to a BYOB party. We were among the select who would be given alcohol because I had been an idiot and agreed to be the model for our hosts latest artistic effort. It is was a rather unusual moment in my life. Being smeared from the neck down in vaseline, covered in a granny gown, bending backwards, latching onto the bottom of a box spring mattress, and then staying that way as cold, wet, dripping pieces of cloth soaked in plaster of paris are draped over me in a nice hot sunny room - and then staying that way until the plaster set - is a memory I will feel for the next few decades.
At the party, we indulged in a delightful mix involving watermelons. I honestly have no memory what else was thrown in that blender, but my true appreciation for watermelon stems from this night. Anyway, we drank way too much and there was no way either of us was going to walk, let alone drive, any where. So my roommate poured me in to bed after my normal 3 drinks and then sat down for a long conversation with our host. Eventually, they both joined me.
Keep your minds out of the gutter. We were all fully clothed and I at least was completely wasted. I never have had a tolerance for alcohol and I had definitely had way too much that night. My usual limit is a glass of wine and THAT makes me tipsy, all right? And besides, it was our hosts bed that I was past out in & I was doing my best drooling log impression in the center. They used me as a divider and went to sleep themselves.
The evilness began several hours later when our hosts girlfriend walks in to find the 3 of us all snuggled together under the covers. I can still remember the wide eyed, tight lipped look on her face and how she asked if she could speak to him in the living room. Since I was currently at the bottom of this pile of puppies, I can only imagine how it looked to her, but it sure wasn't good. Especially since there was an industrial size container of vaseline sitting open - and obviously well used - on the bedside table.
So, after some fumbling around, he left to calm her down. My roommie & I came out from under the covers, got freshened up, and followed. Since she was gone by the time we ambled downstairs, the 3 of us went to Waffle House for a late brunch. We were teasing the poor guy unmercifully, digging for the juicy gossip, when SHE walks in the door. Well, my roommie has a wonderful flair for acting and she decided to feed the poor girls worst impressions. I, being the willing participant that I can be, caught on remarkably quickly considering how hung over I was, and joined in.
The most beautiful moment was when my roommie kept fidgeting in the seat and remarked how she kept sliding because the vaseline was smeared all over her ass. My follow up was a snicker and something about how it was going to be impossible to get out of our hair. Soon after that, the poor soon-to-be-ex girlfriend left and never came back. Our host just kept eating and never even bothered to shrug. I always wondered what happened between them, but he soon graduated and went to Atlanta for a job.
From there, I went to an even older memory about how my undergraduate fiance became my ex. I'm not sure how my train of thought went on this, but I guess its the relationship between humorous pains in the ass moments. The poor guy was just being himself when I realized there was no way in hell I would marry him. I know that I was doing an excellent impression of an emotional ostrich through the entirety of our relationship, but I had not realized how far into the ground I had buried myself.
We were at his parents, discussing our upcoming nuptials when I found out that my parents would have no role in my wedding. For some reason I was a bit taken aback by this statement and I know his mother was as well. It was about a month after that conversation that I finally had enough and said goodbye. It took another 2 years for him to realize I was serious. I take responsibility for that. I never sat down with him and just told him the flat out, ugly truth. I hate doing that under any circumstances and after 5 years of sleeping through sex, I realized that I could not keep ignoring the issues. So I ignored him instead and never responded to most of his attempts to communicate, beyond whining to anyone and everyone about his cards and how they were really over the top. Eventually he did find someone and married her. My life has been vastly improved since then.
Then I went to the idea that my allergies really make it impossible for me to keep living here, or to move to a large city. I am by nature not the sort to go bed hopping, but thanks to the fact that I am allergic to latex, - and a rash "down there" is not a good thing, ya know? - the number of reasons to avoid bars and be anything but 1 of those ridiculous born again virgins keeps increasing. It is bad enough that I live in a college town and have been there and done the college experience, but I am not after my Mrs. degree either. I keep trying to think of how to find someone who will be little more than a fuck buddy, but since it is not a thought that I devote a lot of time and attention to, my ideas are fairly limited.
I am not going to start bed hopping. Mostly because I am not the type, but also because 1) I am not going to demand 3 separate physical exams from anyone just so I can get laid; 2) my allergies require that I do ask for physician clearance cause a rash is not on any of my preferred lists; 3) I have read too many true crime/horror/thriller novels and my luck tends towards freaks so between my imagination and luck, I have trust issues; and 4) my tastes are a bit on the perverse side and that falls under the trust issues again.
I kind of envy those who are willing to trust to luck that whomever they end up in bed with that night is not only going to be good, but is going to be sane and physically healthy. My luck has been strange enough that, mixed with what I have read, I am not sure what it would take for me to be receptive. And there are days like the past 2 when a night of mindless fucking sounds really appealing.
Days like yesterday while driving around when all I really wanted to think about was the feel of a man's shoulders under my hands, and the sensation of being kissed and the list goes on. Thinking about sex while driving is really the only way I keep myself entertained when I forget my CD's, a book on CD, or even worse, there is nothing on the radio. And it really does not help that I am bored here at work and have nothing to do till next Wednesday. Oh well. I will keep this posting as close to PG as I can. Not as if I am going to actually say yes to anyone. Though I have to wonder if a trip to 1 of the local bars in Savannah were the military hangs out would be worth the effort. ;-)
This is the point when I had the blindingly obvious revelation that it is fear that drives so many to marry during their high school and college years. Fear of being alone and never getting laid. I have never understood this fear because I like being alone. I like not having to worry about morning breath or any of the like. I can't even understand why the fear of never getting laid is so looming because while I have had some absolutely incredible sex, I have also had a sex were I literally slept through it.
And what is the deal with having children? That is another subject that I can't understand. I have heard all the reasons given forth about caring on a heritage/name/tradition, wanting to know that there is a new person that you created who makes up you and your spouse, wanting a child desperately, etc. But I do not understand bankrupting yourself or making yourself look like a fool over marriage or kids. But in my blinding moment of revealing the obvious, part of it seems to be some form of fear of being alone. Why it has taken me so long to reach this obvious revelation is beyond me, but there you have it.
And then, I got home and had to put groceries away, feed the animals, gripe about how I need to really clean, and finally get something to eat.
That is when I started watching movies and reading. I watched The Transporter first. I love that movie, mainly because that is a man I can watch over and over again. The fact that it is a fun flick is the other reason I appreciate the flick. Because I have seen the movie a few dozen times, I read a romance novel by Jayne Ann Krentz - Shield's Lady. Typical romance and if you like the genre, she is 1 of my favorite light reading authors.
I then put in The Wedding Date. Do not waste your time. It was a cute movie but I am so glad that I got it from work for free. There were several cute moments, but I read The Never War, Book 3 of the Pendragon Series by D. J. MacHale. That is a series for those who appreciate Zelany's onion theory of reality. It is not as complex as Zelany's Amber series by any means, and there is a definite right from wrong theme, but the stories are fun and the situations are hard to determine what the right choice is. From this 1, the main character has the chance to alter history and either make WWII worse than it was or never happen. All it takes is 1 simple decision.
In his shoes, I don't know if I could have even made the decision.
Once I finished the movie, rather than listen to the music play over and over again, I decided to put in the Bollywood version of Pride and Prejudice - Bride and Prejudice. I had no idea I would love this movie as much as I do. The music, the general level of fun, the costumes, all added up to a movie I will end up eventually adding to my personal collection because it really was a fun, clean movie based on 1 of my favorite novels. The fact that it was kept clean actually added to the appeal for me. Cripes, the closest they came to kissing is when 1 of the men kissed a woman's hand or forehead. As sweet as the kisses on the forehead are, a kiss on the palm of the hand is incredibly romantic and erotic if done right.
About half way through this, exmi showed up with Chinese for dinner. We watched the rest of the movie and he laughed at my girlie girl gushing.
Then we had a complete change. We popped in Sin City. Does "WHOA!" mean anything to anyone? Do not get me wrong. I like the movie. Tarantino is 1 of my favorite's. There was not a moment of the movie that did not have me on the edge of my seat. My eyes frequently went buggy. But wowsers! Some of the scenes went beyond disturbing and straight into Lovecraft-type horror. Zombie Slayer has a review that gives more credit details, and he had a vastly different appreciation for some of the actresses than I did. What I found truly fascinating though was the lighting/special effects. The way the eyes were dramatized was incredible. If you will pardon the pun, the eye for detail was impressive.
By this point it was after 11 and since I need sleep if I am to get through work, he went home and I crashed. My dreams were rather screwy but I can't remember them at all. Thank God.
The last bit of trivia for today's post comes from this mornings drive to work. I listen to NPR in the morning. This morning they had a piece on a kids book I am putting in to Acquisitions here at work, and suggesting to several teachers and home school parents for young kids. My Body Works story on NPR is the link if anyone is interested. The bit I heard sounded like a good resource for parents and teachers, and makes me wish there was a way to have them come to local schools here.
Wednesday, August 24, 2005
2 points
Please, when you call a place like, oh, a library, do not ask the person who answers, "do you have any books?" It is incredibly annoying and makes it really easy NOT to take the extra few steps to answer your question because obviously, the caller is a clueless idiot. If you call some place, line a library, ask, "I am looking for a particular book and was wondering if you could get it for me." Trust me, the courtesy and help you will get from the person on the other end will be much me to your liking.
And even more importantly, I got the anti-spammer comment thingy to work! Yahoo! Yippie! I did it!
And even more importantly, I got the anti-spammer comment thingy to work! Yahoo! Yippie! I did it!
Tuesday, August 23, 2005
Bleck
Beyond my personal long standing gripe about humanity and how stupid and needy humanity as a whole can be, life is plodding along. I am incredibly tired though, and really amazingly cold.
One of the major downsides to working in a library in the South is that to prevent moisture, the temperature has to be kept around frigid. Otherwise, nasty things like mold and rot develop in the books. This is a BAD THING. So, as a card carrying member of the freeze at the drop of a hat society, I wear multiple layers year round. Like now, I'm wearing slacks & a knit top (summer weight sweater), & a sweater jacket.
I have received the paperwork demanding my appearance at bankruptcy court and that is going to be a nerve wracking day. One that I will fortunately be able to forget all about by this time next year. I am, for probably the first time ever, looking forward to "next year." By then, I will have moved in with my mother, thus solving multiple problems while simultaneously creating a few dozen new ones. My chapter 13 bankruptcy case will be well underway and all I need to do is keep making my monthly payments while saving up the money to declare chapter 7. I will be able to devote more time to search for a better position. And life will have progressed to a new set of experiences, woes, joys, worries, and laughs. That is what I am really looking forward to.
Explanation point for those lucky souls who have never paid attention to bankruptcy - I am declaring chapter 13 bankruptcy which lets me reorganize my debts and pay $.10 on the dollar for 60 months. Chapter 7 completely wipes out all debts. The biggest difference, and the most telling in my situation, is that I can not come up with the necessary $800 to pay for a chapter 7 to be filed right now. A chapter 13 will only cost me $58/month, plus the $50-$100 I intend to save up until I can walk in to the lawyers office and plunk down that delightful cold cash.
I just read exmi's posting and, as usual, I agree with the man. I have been listening to NPR's talkshows and reading the news articles online, and here is my worthless opinion.
1. Recalling the troops from Iraq, Afghanistan, etc. will do nothing more than allow the already stained reputation of the U.S. to wallow even further in the mud. I have yet to see any explanation or scenario where recalling the troops home will accomplish anything beyond letting the already unstable situation devolve even further into genocide and religious intolerance at its finest.
2. Sheehan just pisses me off. There are several articles and "Letters to the Editor" and other such that gives finely tunes, reasoned discourse on the validity of her stance and the reasons she is a total flake.
I agree that losing her child in a war that is little more than an excuse to make money is not something anyone ever wants to go through and no one deserves to go through that particular version of hell. But if your child, no matter how old (or young) they are signs up for the military, then they at least knew what they were getting in to. The reality is that there are gazillions of ways to die and there is nothing different about how her son died vs how millions of others have died. The only reason that does make sense is old age or when some horrible disease is killing you in stages like cancer and it is a relief to finally die.
But the way Sheehan has placed her son over all the others who have died, made herself the spokesperson for all the parents of children who died, THAT pisses me off.
3. The gas price rise is getting old. I know that in a year or so it will be a matter of course to shell out $30 plus at the gas station, but it still freaking hurts. I'd rather spend that cash on other necessities - like food. Or if I was feeling really adventurous, maybe I would use the extra cash on things like the power bill.
4. exmi, I am sorry to say this, but I will not miss the trailer. It is pretty cool to live out there and the berry bushes have been divine, but I hate living that far out of town. I want a condo! Give me Wal-Mart! I want to be 10 minutes away from every restaurant! Screw having to drive 25 minutes just to get to the outskirts of town. I like being 2 minutes from Wal-Mart at my Mom's. I like being 10 minutes from their library. I vastly prefer driving the highways rather than the back roads. The lunatic drivers are easier for me to cope with on the highway and the number of deer attacking me drops dramatically.
Not to mention the number of pack hounds I have to save the dogs from drops from 5+ to zero. I really did not appreciate having those same hounds look at me like I was dinner. I have some serious objections, you know? Dogs are supposed to look up at you with big brown eyes and look soulful and adoring, NOT like crazed Cujo's from Hell.
Though in all fairness, I like how quiet it is, and how dark it gets at night. Being able to watch the lightening during thunder storms is beyond cool. Sitting in the living room and knowing that there is a fire going is really cool on a cold winter night. (Though I suppose nearly burning the place down is something I need to work on preventing. I failed fire safety, what can I say? The place is still standing after all.) Getting to paint all the walls and dramatically brighten the place up was seriously cool. Know that when I do move out, you are going to have to suffer through me unpacking for you makes for a fit of maniacal glee. Though I won't go too overboard there. The fact that I will be 2 hours away gives you all sorts of relieve there.
5. Moving in with my mother, sister, nephew, dog, and sister's 3 cats with all my stuff and my own 3 cats is going to be an experience, definitely a learning experience. I am not sure how we will emerge from this period in our lives. What I can predict is that my sister and I are going to have some serious fights. My mother is going to be annoyed and annoying.
My nephew will be wired for far too long.
The dog & I will lose weight.
The cats will try and kill each other on a daily basis.
The house will undergo various mini-facelifts while I am there.
I will be able to pare down my belongings to just what I want and need, and yet I am willing to bet I am still going to need more book shelves by December 2005.
My clothes are all going to develop a fine layer of cat and dog hair unless I am seriously vigilant because my closet will be a jury-rigged affair. (I am placing 4 sets of shelves a few feet from the 1 wall and placing those free standing clothes bars behind them. That's my closet!)
A lot of money will be saved.
I will have cable and DSL again.
I will further develop my hatred of yard work.
Anytime I get sick I will be in a special category of hell because according to my family, the only time I am really sick is if there is blood involved. Otherwise, I have no excuse for not going to work, getting the cat boxes cleaned, running my sister to class, getting the grocery shopping done, etc. Just because I have a temp. of 102 degrees, throwing up every time I turn around, and have passed out twice in the past hour, is no excuse.
Well, it is not that bad. It just always feels that bad when I get the flu or have 1 of my migraines, and there is no sympathy. I love sympathy when I get sick. I want lots of coddling when I am sick. Problem is that I can't stand anyone around me when I am sick. Makes for an interesting problem.
6. The spammers who post comments are really rather annoying. I am trying to remember who posted a way to block spammers on a blog while still allowing readers to post. Once I do that, life will be less annoying.
7. I also wish that some of the people I regularly read would post me. It gives me something to do on days like today when all the items on my "To Do" list were accomplished by 10am and I still have to be at work until 6pm. It is not so bad when there are a lot of patrons coming in and out, or if I have something to do, but I don't! And most of today's list of things to do fell under the category of "search for jobs," "read favorite blogs," and "send out resume." Well, I am done and while I intend to do more job searching, that only gets me so far. Especially since I have to look friendly and welcoming. That is so annoying. Why can't I be grimacing and frightening? I think it would speed up the patrons here at the library and maybe get the dumb ones out.
One of the major downsides to working in a library in the South is that to prevent moisture, the temperature has to be kept around frigid. Otherwise, nasty things like mold and rot develop in the books. This is a BAD THING. So, as a card carrying member of the freeze at the drop of a hat society, I wear multiple layers year round. Like now, I'm wearing slacks & a knit top (summer weight sweater), & a sweater jacket.
I have received the paperwork demanding my appearance at bankruptcy court and that is going to be a nerve wracking day. One that I will fortunately be able to forget all about by this time next year. I am, for probably the first time ever, looking forward to "next year." By then, I will have moved in with my mother, thus solving multiple problems while simultaneously creating a few dozen new ones. My chapter 13 bankruptcy case will be well underway and all I need to do is keep making my monthly payments while saving up the money to declare chapter 7. I will be able to devote more time to search for a better position. And life will have progressed to a new set of experiences, woes, joys, worries, and laughs. That is what I am really looking forward to.
Explanation point for those lucky souls who have never paid attention to bankruptcy - I am declaring chapter 13 bankruptcy which lets me reorganize my debts and pay $.10 on the dollar for 60 months. Chapter 7 completely wipes out all debts. The biggest difference, and the most telling in my situation, is that I can not come up with the necessary $800 to pay for a chapter 7 to be filed right now. A chapter 13 will only cost me $58/month, plus the $50-$100 I intend to save up until I can walk in to the lawyers office and plunk down that delightful cold cash.
I just read exmi's posting and, as usual, I agree with the man. I have been listening to NPR's talkshows and reading the news articles online, and here is my worthless opinion.
1. Recalling the troops from Iraq, Afghanistan, etc. will do nothing more than allow the already stained reputation of the U.S. to wallow even further in the mud. I have yet to see any explanation or scenario where recalling the troops home will accomplish anything beyond letting the already unstable situation devolve even further into genocide and religious intolerance at its finest.
2. Sheehan just pisses me off. There are several articles and "Letters to the Editor" and other such that gives finely tunes, reasoned discourse on the validity of her stance and the reasons she is a total flake.
I agree that losing her child in a war that is little more than an excuse to make money is not something anyone ever wants to go through and no one deserves to go through that particular version of hell. But if your child, no matter how old (or young) they are signs up for the military, then they at least knew what they were getting in to. The reality is that there are gazillions of ways to die and there is nothing different about how her son died vs how millions of others have died. The only reason that does make sense is old age or when some horrible disease is killing you in stages like cancer and it is a relief to finally die.
But the way Sheehan has placed her son over all the others who have died, made herself the spokesperson for all the parents of children who died, THAT pisses me off.
3. The gas price rise is getting old. I know that in a year or so it will be a matter of course to shell out $30 plus at the gas station, but it still freaking hurts. I'd rather spend that cash on other necessities - like food. Or if I was feeling really adventurous, maybe I would use the extra cash on things like the power bill.
4. exmi, I am sorry to say this, but I will not miss the trailer. It is pretty cool to live out there and the berry bushes have been divine, but I hate living that far out of town. I want a condo! Give me Wal-Mart! I want to be 10 minutes away from every restaurant! Screw having to drive 25 minutes just to get to the outskirts of town. I like being 2 minutes from Wal-Mart at my Mom's. I like being 10 minutes from their library. I vastly prefer driving the highways rather than the back roads. The lunatic drivers are easier for me to cope with on the highway and the number of deer attacking me drops dramatically.
Not to mention the number of pack hounds I have to save the dogs from drops from 5+ to zero. I really did not appreciate having those same hounds look at me like I was dinner. I have some serious objections, you know? Dogs are supposed to look up at you with big brown eyes and look soulful and adoring, NOT like crazed Cujo's from Hell.
Though in all fairness, I like how quiet it is, and how dark it gets at night. Being able to watch the lightening during thunder storms is beyond cool. Sitting in the living room and knowing that there is a fire going is really cool on a cold winter night. (Though I suppose nearly burning the place down is something I need to work on preventing. I failed fire safety, what can I say? The place is still standing after all.) Getting to paint all the walls and dramatically brighten the place up was seriously cool. Know that when I do move out, you are going to have to suffer through me unpacking for you makes for a fit of maniacal glee. Though I won't go too overboard there. The fact that I will be 2 hours away gives you all sorts of relieve there.
5. Moving in with my mother, sister, nephew, dog, and sister's 3 cats with all my stuff and my own 3 cats is going to be an experience, definitely a learning experience. I am not sure how we will emerge from this period in our lives. What I can predict is that my sister and I are going to have some serious fights. My mother is going to be annoyed and annoying.
My nephew will be wired for far too long.
The dog & I will lose weight.
The cats will try and kill each other on a daily basis.
The house will undergo various mini-facelifts while I am there.
I will be able to pare down my belongings to just what I want and need, and yet I am willing to bet I am still going to need more book shelves by December 2005.
My clothes are all going to develop a fine layer of cat and dog hair unless I am seriously vigilant because my closet will be a jury-rigged affair. (I am placing 4 sets of shelves a few feet from the 1 wall and placing those free standing clothes bars behind them. That's my closet!)
A lot of money will be saved.
I will have cable and DSL again.
I will further develop my hatred of yard work.
Anytime I get sick I will be in a special category of hell because according to my family, the only time I am really sick is if there is blood involved. Otherwise, I have no excuse for not going to work, getting the cat boxes cleaned, running my sister to class, getting the grocery shopping done, etc. Just because I have a temp. of 102 degrees, throwing up every time I turn around, and have passed out twice in the past hour, is no excuse.
Well, it is not that bad. It just always feels that bad when I get the flu or have 1 of my migraines, and there is no sympathy. I love sympathy when I get sick. I want lots of coddling when I am sick. Problem is that I can't stand anyone around me when I am sick. Makes for an interesting problem.
6. The spammers who post comments are really rather annoying. I am trying to remember who posted a way to block spammers on a blog while still allowing readers to post. Once I do that, life will be less annoying.
7. I also wish that some of the people I regularly read would post me. It gives me something to do on days like today when all the items on my "To Do" list were accomplished by 10am and I still have to be at work until 6pm. It is not so bad when there are a lot of patrons coming in and out, or if I have something to do, but I don't! And most of today's list of things to do fell under the category of "search for jobs," "read favorite blogs," and "send out resume." Well, I am done and while I intend to do more job searching, that only gets me so far. Especially since I have to look friendly and welcoming. That is so annoying. Why can't I be grimacing and frightening? I think it would speed up the patrons here at the library and maybe get the dumb ones out.
Friday, August 19, 2005
I'm Bored
Ha! 
Here is the picture they managed to get of me here at work. It took a lot of sneaking around because I kept closing my eyes, turning my head, that sort of nonsense. It honestly was not deliberate. Closing my eyes is just instinctive and the turning away was because they tried to take these pictures on a Monday evening. That is our guaranteed busy day and after 3 pm it is a madhouse in here.
I am bored out of my ever loving mind right now. There are no projects I can work on. Reports are all done until the 30th. Not that I have many because I am not trusted enough as a lowly branch manager without an American Library Association degree to actually understand things like statistics and the importance of customer satisfaction, let alone how to manipulate data. Just because I have been doing that in every other job I have had since I started college is a small detail, and the fact that I have more degrees and experience than most of my "superiors" here is a small teeny tiny detail.
No, I am not bitter. Not a bit!
I know that I could write some fictional tales, but when I do start, I tend to fall into the cliched "zone" and am not that pleasant to those tax payers who pay my salary so that is a really bad idea. I do not have anything good to relay to friends. My head is pounding which makes life all that much less exciting. And there are far too many people who can't think for themselves. I am getting very tired of blatant stupidity. I mean, really, am I asking too much when I expect people to understand the word "Restroom"?
I suppose I could play an online game but that just does not appeal right now. I do not want to start reading a book because my head is really pounding and I am seeing streamers as my eyes shift. This is just annoying and so I am sharing my low level annoyance with the web world. Everyone reading this, feel honored.
And if anyone can, I am open to IM through my hotmail email. I am routinely bored enough that I am always willing to IM. I will have to disappear for random moments as I help a patron, but on Thursday from 12 noon until closing, we are lucky to have to do anything but putter around. Same goes for alternating Fridays and Saturdays. Monday through Wednesday depends on whether school is in session and if the kids have reports due. But for anyone as bored as me, PLEASE! IM ME! Help keep me awake if nothing else! And that goes for the new mommy, and my UK friend, T.N., exmi, and anyone & everyone who looks at this. I do appreciate the time you guys spend online with me. If you guys did not help out, I'd never make it through the day.
BECAUSE I HATE BEING BORED!
Going off on my favorite job related rant - I know the main reason I hate this job as much as I do is not because it is so stressful, demanding, or just plain hard to do. No. It is because I am bored out of my skull. I have 1 meeting to go to every 3 months. 1 monthly report to write up and that is more like fill in the blanks. Monthly faxes to send but those are on demand from higher ups. And that is it. I do nothing else and it drives me bonkers.
I know that I can create projects to do, but I end up turning most of those over to my staff to keep them occupied during their shifts. And if I have volunteers it is even worse because there really is not all that much to do at any given time. Pretty dang depressing. On days I am not seeing migraine streamers as I shift my eyes I am going to have to start writing fiction. It is going to be pure self-defense because I can not stand to do this little and just sit all day to no purpose. I know there many people who would kill for this job but I am just bored! And I hate when my head attempts to implode.
Here is the picture they managed to get of me here at work. It took a lot of sneaking around because I kept closing my eyes, turning my head, that sort of nonsense. It honestly was not deliberate. Closing my eyes is just instinctive and the turning away was because they tried to take these pictures on a Monday evening. That is our guaranteed busy day and after 3 pm it is a madhouse in here.
I am bored out of my ever loving mind right now. There are no projects I can work on. Reports are all done until the 30th. Not that I have many because I am not trusted enough as a lowly branch manager without an American Library Association degree to actually understand things like statistics and the importance of customer satisfaction, let alone how to manipulate data. Just because I have been doing that in every other job I have had since I started college is a small detail, and the fact that I have more degrees and experience than most of my "superiors" here is a small teeny tiny detail.
No, I am not bitter. Not a bit!
I know that I could write some fictional tales, but when I do start, I tend to fall into the cliched "zone" and am not that pleasant to those tax payers who pay my salary so that is a really bad idea. I do not have anything good to relay to friends. My head is pounding which makes life all that much less exciting. And there are far too many people who can't think for themselves. I am getting very tired of blatant stupidity. I mean, really, am I asking too much when I expect people to understand the word "Restroom"?
I suppose I could play an online game but that just does not appeal right now. I do not want to start reading a book because my head is really pounding and I am seeing streamers as my eyes shift. This is just annoying and so I am sharing my low level annoyance with the web world. Everyone reading this, feel honored.
And if anyone can, I am open to IM through my hotmail email. I am routinely bored enough that I am always willing to IM. I will have to disappear for random moments as I help a patron, but on Thursday from 12 noon until closing, we are lucky to have to do anything but putter around. Same goes for alternating Fridays and Saturdays. Monday through Wednesday depends on whether school is in session and if the kids have reports due. But for anyone as bored as me, PLEASE! IM ME! Help keep me awake if nothing else! And that goes for the new mommy, and my UK friend, T.N., exmi, and anyone & everyone who looks at this. I do appreciate the time you guys spend online with me. If you guys did not help out, I'd never make it through the day.
BECAUSE I HATE BEING BORED!
Going off on my favorite job related rant - I know the main reason I hate this job as much as I do is not because it is so stressful, demanding, or just plain hard to do. No. It is because I am bored out of my skull. I have 1 meeting to go to every 3 months. 1 monthly report to write up and that is more like fill in the blanks. Monthly faxes to send but those are on demand from higher ups. And that is it. I do nothing else and it drives me bonkers.
I know that I can create projects to do, but I end up turning most of those over to my staff to keep them occupied during their shifts. And if I have volunteers it is even worse because there really is not all that much to do at any given time. Pretty dang depressing. On days I am not seeing migraine streamers as I shift my eyes I am going to have to start writing fiction. It is going to be pure self-defense because I can not stand to do this little and just sit all day to no purpose. I know there many people who would kill for this job but I am just bored! And I hate when my head attempts to implode.
Thursday, August 18, 2005
I Almost Wish
This is enough to make me almost wish I was in an affair just so I could send one.
MSNBC.com
When you care enough to risk everything ... With the Secret Lover Collection, now adulterers can say it with a card
By Alex Johnson
Reporter
MSNBC
Updated: 5:15 p.m. ET Aug. 17, 2005
It is a sentiment guaranteed to melt the coldest heart:
“Just when I thought I would never find my true love — you came along ...”
It is a greeting card, decorated with a depiction of purple flowers. Inside:
“My soul has been searching for you since I came into this world.
“All my life I have had this emptiness inside, like a part of me was missing and I was incomplete ...
“And now I can’t imagine my life without you ... Even if I have to share you.”
Even if I have to share you?
This is not a card for the wife — not the sender’s wife, at least.
Pssst: I love you. Don’t tell anyoneIn fact, it is specifically for anyone but the wife. Called “My Lover,” the card is one of 24 in the Secret Lover Collection, published by a former advertising executive in Bethesda, Md., named Cathy Gallagher. If you are having an extramarital affair, Secret Lover cards can make it an affair to remember.
Gallagher hit upon the idea a couple of years ago. Like most couples, she and her husband had friends whose marriages had been affected by extramarital affairs, with all their attendant “conflict and emotional intensity,” she said in an interview.
“I’m thinking, ‘So how do these people communicate? It’s a secret love affair,’” Gallagher said. “So I thought, ‘Oh, my gosh, what better can you do than give someone your sentiments in a greeting card? How special is that?’”
After two years of market research revealed an unfilled need, she said, the cards debuted to enormous curiosity this year at the annual National Stationery Show in New York.
Barbara Miller, a spokeswoman for the Greeting Card Association, a national trade group, confirmed that the collection was, indeed, unique.
“Ms. Gallagher thought she saw a specific niche there, and she’s going after that particular niche,” Miller said. “Whether or not it proves successful I guess we’ll all have to wait and see. ... It’s obviously a business decision on her end.”
How big a market?Secret Lover claims on its Web site that its research shows that 60 percent of American men and 40 percent of women “are involved in or have been involved in an affair.”
The most recent surveys, by the National Opinion Research Center at Chicago University in 2002 and the Kinsey Institute in 1994, indicate that slightly less than a quarter of men and about 12 percent of women have strayed from their marriages. But public opinion experts caution that respondents have a strong incentive to lie, so Gallagher’s numbers could well be close to the truth.
Either way, that’s millions of ring-doffing would-be customers for Secret Lover. “It was unbelievable in terms of the numbers of people,” Gallagher said.
But it remains an open question whether Secret Lover can indeed profit from sin. While Gallagher is negotiating with retailers and says prospects are bright, some retailers have said they would avoid the line for fear of alienating their customers, while others have said their customers probably wouldn’t want to buy the cards in a public store.
The company’s e-commerce site did not open until this week, so sales figures there aren’t yet available, but Gallagher said that more than a million unique visitors had stopped by the home page since May and that e-mail sales were strong.
“The question for me then becomes does the promotion of such a Web site make adultery more acceptable,” said Dr. Trina E. Read, a Canadian sexologist and columnist. “I would guess not because even though a lot of people are doing it, there is still a huge negative societal connotation.”
Celebrating adultery?Gallagher says she doesn’t talk about the social implications: “I’m neither a crusader nor an advocate for this lifestyle. I’m a businesswoman.” As for her critics, she says, “People are entitled to their opinions.”
But specialists in family and marital relations have their doubts, noting that the divorce rate has risen above 50 percent in recent years.
“It seems to me really crude to use a greeting card to celebrate what, in the 16th century, was an offense by which you would be publicly hanged in the town square,” said John Mayoue (pronounced May-you), a divorce and family lawyer in Atlanta.
Dr. Robert R. Butterworth, a psychologist in Los Angeles who specializes in reactions to traumatic stress, could only laugh when told about the Secret Lover Collection.
“I can see trouble ahead,” he said. “This will be a boon for marriage therapists all across the nation, because [the cards] are going to wind up in the wrong hands. They’re going to go to the wrong address, and they’re not going to self-destruct.”
When is a secret not a secret?For the Rev. Laurie Sue Brockway, an interfaith minister in New York, the point of sending your secret lover a Secret Lover card is hard to grasp.
“It’s not cute. It’s sad,” said Brockway, author of “Wedding Goddess: A Divine Guide to Transforming Wedding Stress Into Wedding Bliss.” “I thought the idea of having a secret lover was just that — it is secret. These cards negate the idea of sneaking around. They leave a paper trail.”
And that, said Mayoue, the divorce lawyer, is not a smart thing for an adulterer to do.
With cell-phone records, Mayoue said, he can “circumstantially prove the adultery.” But with greeting cards, “I’m not just going to prove it circumstantially; it’ll be graphic. I would ask them which card this person chose and what the sentiments were, and then I’ll have it in their own words.
“If I’m the company, I’m probably going to have a full-time lawyer on staff just to respond to subpoenas,” he said. (Gallagher said she’d already thought of that and did have lawyers on call.)
Butterworth, meanwhile, said the unforeseen consequences of sending a card to your lover could go much deeper than just an expensive divorce settlement or public embarrassment, especially because “the recipient may not welcome it.”
“What those cards are saying is: ‘Oh, my God, they’re getting romantically involved. I’m getting really scared now,’” Butterworth said. “... Women are sometimes afraid to break it off because they are afraid of what [the other party] will do.”
His solution? “I’d feel a little better if they also had a division of ‘breaking it off’ cards. ... Maybe they should have a couple [of cards] that say, ‘We had a great time, but I realize that we need to move on.’”
Secret Lover has it covered: For $3.99, you can tell your paramour: I can’t go on like this ...
© 2005 MSNBC Interactive
URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8973962/
http://www.secretlovercollection.com/ Here is the website for those curious
MSNBC.com
When you care enough to risk everything ... With the Secret Lover Collection, now adulterers can say it with a card
By Alex Johnson
Reporter
MSNBC
Updated: 5:15 p.m. ET Aug. 17, 2005
It is a sentiment guaranteed to melt the coldest heart:
“Just when I thought I would never find my true love — you came along ...”
It is a greeting card, decorated with a depiction of purple flowers. Inside:
“My soul has been searching for you since I came into this world.
“All my life I have had this emptiness inside, like a part of me was missing and I was incomplete ...
“And now I can’t imagine my life without you ... Even if I have to share you.”
Even if I have to share you?
This is not a card for the wife — not the sender’s wife, at least.
Pssst: I love you. Don’t tell anyoneIn fact, it is specifically for anyone but the wife. Called “My Lover,” the card is one of 24 in the Secret Lover Collection, published by a former advertising executive in Bethesda, Md., named Cathy Gallagher. If you are having an extramarital affair, Secret Lover cards can make it an affair to remember.
Gallagher hit upon the idea a couple of years ago. Like most couples, she and her husband had friends whose marriages had been affected by extramarital affairs, with all their attendant “conflict and emotional intensity,” she said in an interview.
“I’m thinking, ‘So how do these people communicate? It’s a secret love affair,’” Gallagher said. “So I thought, ‘Oh, my gosh, what better can you do than give someone your sentiments in a greeting card? How special is that?’”
After two years of market research revealed an unfilled need, she said, the cards debuted to enormous curiosity this year at the annual National Stationery Show in New York.
Barbara Miller, a spokeswoman for the Greeting Card Association, a national trade group, confirmed that the collection was, indeed, unique.
“Ms. Gallagher thought she saw a specific niche there, and she’s going after that particular niche,” Miller said. “Whether or not it proves successful I guess we’ll all have to wait and see. ... It’s obviously a business decision on her end.”
How big a market?Secret Lover claims on its Web site that its research shows that 60 percent of American men and 40 percent of women “are involved in or have been involved in an affair.”
The most recent surveys, by the National Opinion Research Center at Chicago University in 2002 and the Kinsey Institute in 1994, indicate that slightly less than a quarter of men and about 12 percent of women have strayed from their marriages. But public opinion experts caution that respondents have a strong incentive to lie, so Gallagher’s numbers could well be close to the truth.
Either way, that’s millions of ring-doffing would-be customers for Secret Lover. “It was unbelievable in terms of the numbers of people,” Gallagher said.
But it remains an open question whether Secret Lover can indeed profit from sin. While Gallagher is negotiating with retailers and says prospects are bright, some retailers have said they would avoid the line for fear of alienating their customers, while others have said their customers probably wouldn’t want to buy the cards in a public store.
The company’s e-commerce site did not open until this week, so sales figures there aren’t yet available, but Gallagher said that more than a million unique visitors had stopped by the home page since May and that e-mail sales were strong.
“The question for me then becomes does the promotion of such a Web site make adultery more acceptable,” said Dr. Trina E. Read, a Canadian sexologist and columnist. “I would guess not because even though a lot of people are doing it, there is still a huge negative societal connotation.”
Celebrating adultery?Gallagher says she doesn’t talk about the social implications: “I’m neither a crusader nor an advocate for this lifestyle. I’m a businesswoman.” As for her critics, she says, “People are entitled to their opinions.”
But specialists in family and marital relations have their doubts, noting that the divorce rate has risen above 50 percent in recent years.
“It seems to me really crude to use a greeting card to celebrate what, in the 16th century, was an offense by which you would be publicly hanged in the town square,” said John Mayoue (pronounced May-you), a divorce and family lawyer in Atlanta.
Dr. Robert R. Butterworth, a psychologist in Los Angeles who specializes in reactions to traumatic stress, could only laugh when told about the Secret Lover Collection.
“I can see trouble ahead,” he said. “This will be a boon for marriage therapists all across the nation, because [the cards] are going to wind up in the wrong hands. They’re going to go to the wrong address, and they’re not going to self-destruct.”
When is a secret not a secret?For the Rev. Laurie Sue Brockway, an interfaith minister in New York, the point of sending your secret lover a Secret Lover card is hard to grasp.
“It’s not cute. It’s sad,” said Brockway, author of “Wedding Goddess: A Divine Guide to Transforming Wedding Stress Into Wedding Bliss.” “I thought the idea of having a secret lover was just that — it is secret. These cards negate the idea of sneaking around. They leave a paper trail.”
And that, said Mayoue, the divorce lawyer, is not a smart thing for an adulterer to do.
With cell-phone records, Mayoue said, he can “circumstantially prove the adultery.” But with greeting cards, “I’m not just going to prove it circumstantially; it’ll be graphic. I would ask them which card this person chose and what the sentiments were, and then I’ll have it in their own words.
“If I’m the company, I’m probably going to have a full-time lawyer on staff just to respond to subpoenas,” he said. (Gallagher said she’d already thought of that and did have lawyers on call.)
Butterworth, meanwhile, said the unforeseen consequences of sending a card to your lover could go much deeper than just an expensive divorce settlement or public embarrassment, especially because “the recipient may not welcome it.”
“What those cards are saying is: ‘Oh, my God, they’re getting romantically involved. I’m getting really scared now,’” Butterworth said. “... Women are sometimes afraid to break it off because they are afraid of what [the other party] will do.”
His solution? “I’d feel a little better if they also had a division of ‘breaking it off’ cards. ... Maybe they should have a couple [of cards] that say, ‘We had a great time, but I realize that we need to move on.’”
Secret Lover has it covered: For $3.99, you can tell your paramour: I can’t go on like this ...
© 2005 MSNBC Interactive
URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8973962/
http://www.secretlovercollection.com/ Here is the website for those curious
Today's Ramblings
Yesterday was my birthday and it was rather anti-climatic. I did nothing but drive my sister around town and shop (repeatedly) at Wal-Mart. Once everyone was home, we had veggie plates for dinner, watched a bit of TV, and went to bed. I loved every second of it. I was not at work and I was able to relax. It was great!
Today, unfortunately, I came back to work to find an adorable card from my staff and a king sized package of Reeses peanut butter cups. My favorites! Once the children's hour was over, and all the rug rats and their parents left, I was able to kill a large chunk of time checking my email and catching up on the news.
Normally, I will avoid commenting on current events because there are several million sites that are managed by individuals who are better informed and able to put forth their opinions in far more clarity and coherency than I can ever dream of achieving. But these 2 stories just get my dander up.
The first in the Btk case. I find the entire media circus almost as horrifying as the court case itself. Why must the media tell us how he did his research and find out all the best ways to kill? Why must we know that this sick fuck killed a child and then maturbated over her dead body? I could have cared less that he dressed up in their clothes and then took pictures. I want to know more details about why this sick fuck will not get the death sentence. I want to know more about the chain of events and evidence that led the police to him. I want to know about the detectives chain of thoughts. What I do not want to know is how this lunatic looks in the dress of 1 of his victims. I do not want my over active imagination to be able to picture how he looked as he masturbated over a dead girls body. Yet now I can and I do not appreciate it.
The other annoyance is Cindy Sheehan. If you follow this link, you will end up at an article about the vigil held last night by the anti-war protestors. I want to make clear that I disagree strongly with this war in Iraq and Afghanistan. I think it is all a crock of shit that wastes resources and has been mismanaged by the bureaucrats from the beginning. However, I find this bimbo absolutely disgusting. What she has turned herself into is an absolute farce and it is enough to make me want to hit the reporters for encouraging her to make an idiot of herself. Her son was killed in a war that is a waste of resources and the stated reasons have proven to be invalid. That is horrible. But guess what? Several others have lost their children in wars they disagreed with and that is just in the past 2 years!
It is a historical fact that people die when they go in to armed combat. Her child knew this, as did her husband. Obviously, this woman has managed to avoid that particular fact of life. How is beyond me, but being oblivious no longer gets you killed. While I would be among the 1st to die in an older era, I almost wish some great catastrophe would occur just to improve the gene pool. Too many people like Sheehan are missing the minor facts that war is hell. It is not a clean game you play by pushing buttons. It involves people sweating, swearing, and generally being the toughest bad ass you can be to survive. No where in the description is the phrase, "clean shaven, deoderized, sanitary conditions" to be found. It would not be war if it was all clean and sanitary.
When I hear or read people who feel like Sheehan I can admire their view point. It would be wonderful if the world was filled with individuals who are all open minded, accepting and caring. It would be heavenly if all problems could be solved in a peaceful nonviolent manner. However, those history classes and text books that these idealist obviously missed are chock full of how it ain't going to happen any time soon.
Just look at BTK killer, dead beat parents, the educational system and how it is fighting a losing battle to educate the nest generation because of these idealist who feel that self esteem matters more than actually learning anything. It does not freaking matter. I am a generally calm, passive soul with a lazy streak 20 miles wide and incredibly anti-social. Despite these basic personality facts, I want to stomp in to the ground the morons who find dog fights to be entertaining, parents who do not grasp the fact that a child requires taking on responsibility beyond demanding a welfare check, and am incredibly infuriated by how society is just stupid.
Side note on societal stupidity: Earlier I read Zombie Lama's blog about how society is willing to accept the commercial industry without a qualm about body image and what is beautiful, yet we argue over politics and are willing to get into bloody fights over the right to put up a beer sign. I agree with his comments, plus those which were posted in response. I know that I personally have serious body image issues. At 5'7", 145 lbs., wear a size 8, I should not feel like I am overweight blimp with an ass that rivals the Good Year Blimps'. I am constantly watching my diet and exercise despite my doctor's orders. Arthritis, fibromyalgia, a compressed spine, and diabetes make things like sprints a BAD idea. Guess what I do? Though I also do yoga to make sure my joints do not hate me too terribly much and it does wonders for muscle toning.
Today, unfortunately, I came back to work to find an adorable card from my staff and a king sized package of Reeses peanut butter cups. My favorites! Once the children's hour was over, and all the rug rats and their parents left, I was able to kill a large chunk of time checking my email and catching up on the news.
Normally, I will avoid commenting on current events because there are several million sites that are managed by individuals who are better informed and able to put forth their opinions in far more clarity and coherency than I can ever dream of achieving. But these 2 stories just get my dander up.
The first in the Btk case. I find the entire media circus almost as horrifying as the court case itself. Why must the media tell us how he did his research and find out all the best ways to kill? Why must we know that this sick fuck killed a child and then maturbated over her dead body? I could have cared less that he dressed up in their clothes and then took pictures. I want to know more details about why this sick fuck will not get the death sentence. I want to know more about the chain of events and evidence that led the police to him. I want to know about the detectives chain of thoughts. What I do not want to know is how this lunatic looks in the dress of 1 of his victims. I do not want my over active imagination to be able to picture how he looked as he masturbated over a dead girls body. Yet now I can and I do not appreciate it.
The other annoyance is Cindy Sheehan. If you follow this link, you will end up at an article about the vigil held last night by the anti-war protestors. I want to make clear that I disagree strongly with this war in Iraq and Afghanistan. I think it is all a crock of shit that wastes resources and has been mismanaged by the bureaucrats from the beginning. However, I find this bimbo absolutely disgusting. What she has turned herself into is an absolute farce and it is enough to make me want to hit the reporters for encouraging her to make an idiot of herself. Her son was killed in a war that is a waste of resources and the stated reasons have proven to be invalid. That is horrible. But guess what? Several others have lost their children in wars they disagreed with and that is just in the past 2 years!
It is a historical fact that people die when they go in to armed combat. Her child knew this, as did her husband. Obviously, this woman has managed to avoid that particular fact of life. How is beyond me, but being oblivious no longer gets you killed. While I would be among the 1st to die in an older era, I almost wish some great catastrophe would occur just to improve the gene pool. Too many people like Sheehan are missing the minor facts that war is hell. It is not a clean game you play by pushing buttons. It involves people sweating, swearing, and generally being the toughest bad ass you can be to survive. No where in the description is the phrase, "clean shaven, deoderized, sanitary conditions" to be found. It would not be war if it was all clean and sanitary.
When I hear or read people who feel like Sheehan I can admire their view point. It would be wonderful if the world was filled with individuals who are all open minded, accepting and caring. It would be heavenly if all problems could be solved in a peaceful nonviolent manner. However, those history classes and text books that these idealist obviously missed are chock full of how it ain't going to happen any time soon.
Just look at BTK killer, dead beat parents, the educational system and how it is fighting a losing battle to educate the nest generation because of these idealist who feel that self esteem matters more than actually learning anything. It does not freaking matter. I am a generally calm, passive soul with a lazy streak 20 miles wide and incredibly anti-social. Despite these basic personality facts, I want to stomp in to the ground the morons who find dog fights to be entertaining, parents who do not grasp the fact that a child requires taking on responsibility beyond demanding a welfare check, and am incredibly infuriated by how society is just stupid.
Side note on societal stupidity: Earlier I read Zombie Lama's blog about how society is willing to accept the commercial industry without a qualm about body image and what is beautiful, yet we argue over politics and are willing to get into bloody fights over the right to put up a beer sign. I agree with his comments, plus those which were posted in response. I know that I personally have serious body image issues. At 5'7", 145 lbs., wear a size 8, I should not feel like I am overweight blimp with an ass that rivals the Good Year Blimps'. I am constantly watching my diet and exercise despite my doctor's orders. Arthritis, fibromyalgia, a compressed spine, and diabetes make things like sprints a BAD idea. Guess what I do? Though I also do yoga to make sure my joints do not hate me too terribly much and it does wonders for muscle toning.
Tuesday, August 16, 2005
Stalking and other traumatic memories
Zombie Lama has left a "request" for some of my life stories. There are many, mostly because I live in a college town and have the remarkable ability to attract soap operas. It's part of the reason I hide from people in fact. All too often, I get swept into someone's life and I end up dealing with police reports and 911. I am now incredibly paranoid and fanatically possessive of my limited free time. exmi can testify to that. It takes a crow bar to get me out any more.
Anyway, stalkers was the topic and I have dealt several. Since I am bored out of my skull with boredom here at work and the memories are percolating, I'm going to reminisce.
There are the 4 legged ones which I not only prefer, but actually encourage. That is how I got some of my cats over the years and managed to save several dogs from starvation. The 4 leggers are vastly cuter anyway, even covered in fleas and missing most of their fur.
The 2 legged variety range from the annoying but harmless type to the delightful "tried to run me off the road because I was driving the object of his obsession home." The harmless types everyone knows all about. That idiot who can't take the hint that you are not interested, and keeps coming around despite the heavy handed hints. When you tell someone that you need to clip your cats nails and can't join them for dinner followed by an evening at the theater, the hint should be pretty obvious. Or am I wrong?
The more serious examples range from the neighbor who took it into his psychotic head that I needed to die to the ex-boyfriend of a roommate who would not take the hint he was history. Probably the hardest to deal with was the neighbor. I can still remember the conversations my roommates and I had trying to figure out why he felt the need to try and electrocute me, drown me, run me over, threaten to shoot me, and the list goes on. About the only thing he did not do was try and stab me. It was not until he crossed a serious line by poisoning me and his roommate with tainted alcohol and really went too far with his "experiments" that the police finally took us "silly college freshmen girls" seriously.
My contempt for the local law officials stems from this point.
I've had the great joy of dealing with peeping toms, sobbing men who just can't understand "why doesn't she love me?", girls cowering in my closet as their soon to be ex rants outside. I've driven the neighbors to the hospital because they had an argument and managed to slice each other up rather impressively. (I drove mostly because there was no one else and they could not afford the ambulance.) There have been the 3 a.m. break-ins that left me a cowering wreck for the next week.
What is astonishing though is how none of this was as awful as the day I had to tell my boyfriend of 5 years that I would not marry him. That was a serious not fun moment in my life. It was better than waiting until before the wedding, but it was still horrible.
For those who know all involved and are reading this, remember, he was the best thing for me at the time. I was a wee bit fucked up at the time and having no one believe me but my roommates when I said the neighbor was trying to kill me - INCLUDING my family - was a major blow. Everyone, me especially, just needs to be grateful that I did wake up and realize that the world was an OK place and I would be utterly miserable if I married him.
By then, the soap opera was well on its way to consuming me and I realized enough was enough. No one was worth all the drama going on. So I moved away from everyone and met up with some really wonderful people, kept some of the previous bunch, and moved on.
Most of those I still know are those with some sense and rather strong personalities. Wonder what that says about me & them?
Anyway, stalkers was the topic and I have dealt several. Since I am bored out of my skull with boredom here at work and the memories are percolating, I'm going to reminisce.
There are the 4 legged ones which I not only prefer, but actually encourage. That is how I got some of my cats over the years and managed to save several dogs from starvation. The 4 leggers are vastly cuter anyway, even covered in fleas and missing most of their fur.
The 2 legged variety range from the annoying but harmless type to the delightful "tried to run me off the road because I was driving the object of his obsession home." The harmless types everyone knows all about. That idiot who can't take the hint that you are not interested, and keeps coming around despite the heavy handed hints. When you tell someone that you need to clip your cats nails and can't join them for dinner followed by an evening at the theater, the hint should be pretty obvious. Or am I wrong?
The more serious examples range from the neighbor who took it into his psychotic head that I needed to die to the ex-boyfriend of a roommate who would not take the hint he was history. Probably the hardest to deal with was the neighbor. I can still remember the conversations my roommates and I had trying to figure out why he felt the need to try and electrocute me, drown me, run me over, threaten to shoot me, and the list goes on. About the only thing he did not do was try and stab me. It was not until he crossed a serious line by poisoning me and his roommate with tainted alcohol and really went too far with his "experiments" that the police finally took us "silly college freshmen girls" seriously.
My contempt for the local law officials stems from this point.
I've had the great joy of dealing with peeping toms, sobbing men who just can't understand "why doesn't she love me?", girls cowering in my closet as their soon to be ex rants outside. I've driven the neighbors to the hospital because they had an argument and managed to slice each other up rather impressively. (I drove mostly because there was no one else and they could not afford the ambulance.) There have been the 3 a.m. break-ins that left me a cowering wreck for the next week.
What is astonishing though is how none of this was as awful as the day I had to tell my boyfriend of 5 years that I would not marry him. That was a serious not fun moment in my life. It was better than waiting until before the wedding, but it was still horrible.
For those who know all involved and are reading this, remember, he was the best thing for me at the time. I was a wee bit fucked up at the time and having no one believe me but my roommates when I said the neighbor was trying to kill me - INCLUDING my family - was a major blow. Everyone, me especially, just needs to be grateful that I did wake up and realize that the world was an OK place and I would be utterly miserable if I married him.
By then, the soap opera was well on its way to consuming me and I realized enough was enough. No one was worth all the drama going on. So I moved away from everyone and met up with some really wonderful people, kept some of the previous bunch, and moved on.
Most of those I still know are those with some sense and rather strong personalities. Wonder what that says about me & them?
Strange News
Thanks to AP News!
Pa. Couple to Wed at McDonald's Drive-Thru
Do you want fries with those vows? Ken Sinchar and Lori Sherbondy have heard that and every other fast-food joke since they announced plans to marry at a McDonald's drive-thru, where they fell in love four years earlier.
On Monday night, Sinchar rolled through the drive-thru in his white minivan, just as he had done day after day, hoping to chat with "that blue-eyed brunette named Lori."
But on this night, Sinchar rolled down his window, Sherbondy slid open hers and the couple grabbed hands as a district judge pronounced them husband and wife.
Sinchar was expecting to pick up a Big Mac, not a date, the first time he pulled through the Norwin Towne Shopping Center McDonald's.
"I didn't used to go for fast food, but I looked at that woman in the window, and wow! I came back every lunchtime after that," said Sinchar, a 38-year-old floor installer.
Sherbondy, 42, who's worked at the restaurant for eight years, said Sinchar made an impression, too.
"He's the only man I ever flirted with," Sherbondy said. "It got to where everyone in the store knew when it was 12:15, when my Hamburger Happy Meal Man was coming through."
Lions stalk little Smart cars in English big game park
Lions at a safari park in the north of England are prowling after Smart cars, in the apparent belief that the boxy little two-seat European city cars are worthy prey.
Visitors to Knowsley Safari Park, outside Liverpool, have long been able to drive their vehicles within metres (yards) of the big cats -- but those in Smart cars have discovered that the lions are paying them particular interest.
"The lions are used to seeing saloons (sedans) and family cars on a daily basis, but they had never seen a Smart before," park manager David Ross said Tuesday.
"Because of the cars' small size and unusual looks, the lions were immediately interested and went to take a closer look."
"We won't be excluding Smarts from the park but we will monitor their progress and ensure that the lions don't take anything more than a passing interest."
Knowsley Safari Park is home to a variety of exotic animals including tigers, buffalo, baboons, camels, rhinos, elephants and giraffes.
A spokesman for Smart, a Mercedes-Benz brand, said the animal attraction was "very unusual".
Pa. Couple to Wed at McDonald's Drive-Thru
Do you want fries with those vows? Ken Sinchar and Lori Sherbondy have heard that and every other fast-food joke since they announced plans to marry at a McDonald's drive-thru, where they fell in love four years earlier.
On Monday night, Sinchar rolled through the drive-thru in his white minivan, just as he had done day after day, hoping to chat with "that blue-eyed brunette named Lori."
But on this night, Sinchar rolled down his window, Sherbondy slid open hers and the couple grabbed hands as a district judge pronounced them husband and wife.
Sinchar was expecting to pick up a Big Mac, not a date, the first time he pulled through the Norwin Towne Shopping Center McDonald's.
"I didn't used to go for fast food, but I looked at that woman in the window, and wow! I came back every lunchtime after that," said Sinchar, a 38-year-old floor installer.
Sherbondy, 42, who's worked at the restaurant for eight years, said Sinchar made an impression, too.
"He's the only man I ever flirted with," Sherbondy said. "It got to where everyone in the store knew when it was 12:15, when my Hamburger Happy Meal Man was coming through."
Lions stalk little Smart cars in English big game park
Lions at a safari park in the north of England are prowling after Smart cars, in the apparent belief that the boxy little two-seat European city cars are worthy prey.
Visitors to Knowsley Safari Park, outside Liverpool, have long been able to drive their vehicles within metres (yards) of the big cats -- but those in Smart cars have discovered that the lions are paying them particular interest.
"The lions are used to seeing saloons (sedans) and family cars on a daily basis, but they had never seen a Smart before," park manager David Ross said Tuesday.
"Because of the cars' small size and unusual looks, the lions were immediately interested and went to take a closer look."
"We won't be excluding Smarts from the park but we will monitor their progress and ensure that the lions don't take anything more than a passing interest."
Knowsley Safari Park is home to a variety of exotic animals including tigers, buffalo, baboons, camels, rhinos, elephants and giraffes.
A spokesman for Smart, a Mercedes-Benz brand, said the animal attraction was "very unusual".
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)