Your words are a choice

Every one. No matter what you may think. Every word that you speak is a choice you make. Now to make it a conscious choice.

Here I sit, listening to hold music, waiting to see what has occurred that is causing my catering order to have not shown up. It is now officially 50 minutes late. When it was 20 minutes late they called to tell me 10 more minutes. That would make 30 minutes (for those math inclined). Now I've been on hold for 6 minutes.

This is decision time, choose my words. Tendency would be to use angry ones. So instead I choose to use few. And a patient tone. I wonder how this would go if I went the other way. I know I would leave the conversation angry. I might leave it angry anyway. But what about the other person. I could effect their entire day by not yelling. Instead of being the angry customer who ruined her day, I could just be another customer.

"Winning"

So I have always been curious about the quick to sell superbowl shirts (and other sporting events). As soon as the last second is completed, the winning team already has t-shirts and hats on. Obviously they make them for both teams and just pass out the ones for the winners. Who wants a hat that claims your team won a championship that they never did? If you do, you are cheating yourself and too involved with your team... just my humble opinion.

Well if you are like me, here's the answer. Http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSN1416353120080215

A moment in time

My wonderful sister had a beautiful baby this week. We all texted whlie we waited for the baby to be born. We all called and chatted when we found out she was a girl. We all are still waiting for a name.

But this morning I realized that it was just a moment in time. It put everything else on hold for a few moments (a few hours) and our focus was changed. But the next day.... back to normal. Daily life. Routine. There are many events that occur putting everything on hold for just a moment in time and the next day, sometimes the next hour, we look back and wonder if that was really just last night.

In a society where we leave our family home to find our path and our fortunes in life it seems that the earth shattering events although effect an entire family for a moment only shatter the earth for one person.

Photos?

So I came across this cool blog: http://beeboppinnyc.blogspot.com/ about two girls who hop around New York City and take photos and blog about them. I like taking photos. I now have a digital camera (actually, I have had one for over a year!) and I thought hmmm. Why don't I do photo blogging?

So to the rare visiter of this blog (do I have any? I wonder that every time I write) I'm going to try it. I'll post the url when I set it up. I think I'll have to go back in time to the last fun trip I took and just randomly post and back date posts and all kinds of crazy stuff like that to have it all occur in the past until I take a new trip. We'll see, won't we.

The ladies room at work

I know. It's an odd topic. I said random.

When you enter the restroom at work and the two stalls are already full, do you:
a. Wait
b. Leave and come back later
c. leave and try another restroom

I seriously don't know. If you go with B or C it seems like inconveniencing yourself.
If you go with A, it always seems impatient to me. When I am in the stall I feel like I need to hurry up for them as well as hurry up so they don't judge how long it takes me to go while they wonder if I am checking my e-mail while in there (yes I bring my bberry in the stall with me so nothing happens to it on the sink edge and no I don't answer your e-mail while in there as I don't ever want to think about how I was in the stall when I wrote what you replied to). I try not to judge people when I am waiting, but when it's more than a minute or so, and I know they were in there before I walked into the room... well, it makes me not want to wait any longer.

Parenting and the 2008 presidental elections

I was in the lobby of the oil change place yesterday, crocheting away and half listening to the news on the television that was being played way too loud. Two stories came out of this experience, one sort of funny so I'll start with it...

The brother and sister sitting to my left were intently watching the television for lack of anything better to do and a commercial came on for a blood tester one touch portable or something similar. The commercial actually used the phrase "in croud pleasing colors." I asked my husband if I heard it correct and the brother sister couple started laughing. They had heard it but weren't sure what to do with it. So they then started making up stories of how in a restaurant you need to check your blood sugar and you pull out your mini pink tester and everyone applaudes. Wow, that's a croud pleasing color.

Story two was the father and son to my left, the son was reading his book but would pick up small things from the news and ask his father about them. Such as stem cell research and why it's so contriversial if the stem cells can help heal people. Or why there was an argument about whether a comment was racist in the debates. I realized I didn't know and easy answer to these questions and was impressed by the way the father to my right handled it. He lowered his paper, looked at his son and gave his best answer with explanation of both sides of the issues letting his son know that people have different viewpoints depending on their beliefs and upbringing. Agree or disagree with the father's stance on the issues, I was proud to see that there are parents who are willing to treat their children like people and tell them the truth even when the truth is I don't know. Unlike the lady at the detroit zoo who told her child that the zebra was a reindeer.

Shouldn't we all be a little Stuart?

With the primary elections into full swing and the future of the country dangling in the balance, I wonder if we focus too much on the media and need to take a little time for ourselves... Instead of filling our heads with whatever horrible news has just occurred in the world let's take a page from an old SNL character. Although humerous to watch, I bet if you listened to him you might just feel a little better, a little happier, and it could brighten your day.

Go on... give it a try: "I deserve good things. I am entitled to my share of happiness. I refuse to beat myself up. I am attractive person. I am fun to be with."

Now, don't you feel better?


"Daily Affirmation with Stuart Smalley". Stuart Smalley is a caring nurturer, a member of several 12-step programs, but not a licensed therapist.

Quote for today

Courage is not having the strength to go on, it is going on when you no longer have the strength.

ah... powerpoint

How did microsoft do it? They took over the world of computing with their programs and now I have been relegated to making documents in powerpoint of all things. Make a graphical background, add some text and convert to pdf. At least Adobe still owns something. I wonder, however, when powerpoint became so powerful...

I seem to post in spurts

5 here... 10 there... forgotten for months in between. This is how many things in life go. What can happen if we commit to one thing, full committment, for an extended period of time?

Rain rain go away

Not enough rain out west, too much rain here. Grey skies. blah days. Really don't lend themselves to motivation. I wonder if it comes from somewhere in my childhood, but I'm torn between curling up under a blanket and watching a movie and putting on clothing I don't care about and splashing in puddles. But being an adult makes me worry about dripping through the house when I come in. I guess we hosed off outside and wrapped in towels on the porch as kids. Would the neighbors wonder....

Burn baby burn

"The smoke-filled orange skies above Pine Stump Junction Tuesday afternoon seemed to be threatening something big was about to peek up over the treetops." The Mining Journal reports regular updates on the Sleeper Lake fire in Luce County Michigan. Over 18,000 acres of land have been destroyed by the fire and they now say it is 25% contained. However the link is not to a story about the fire, but a story about a motel owner in the back woods of the upper peninsula of Michigan who would not leave. As the police evacuated Pine Stump Junction, two gentlemen stood their ground against mother nature and made the choice to wait and see.

It's the makings of a good novel to me... "A small town and townsfolk with deep roots. Roots as deep as the trees that were burning, threatening their very existance. If Mother nature was not kind, there might be no recognition that anyone had even lived there. As the wildfire grew over 15,000 acres two men stood together in a battle of wills. Theirs versus the forest fire that had started over 5 days ago by an innocent lightning strike in the middle of a swamp. Who knew that the lives of dozens would never be the same... "

You can picture the two old men soaking bandannas and tieing them around their necks, covering their mouths while out the window black smoke billowed and you imagine the flames in the distance underneath all that smoke.

In all seriousness, however, thoughts and prayers go out to those effected and thanks and praise to all the firefighters and other personel helping contain this fire.

Ponderings on Potter

We finished the book in about one week. It was enjoyable. I liked the ending (which I am choosing not to discuss although I believe most fans of the series have already read the book). I thought, however, that I would have a feeling on the ending of the series when I finished the book, but nothing. Happily ever after, and ? I wasn't particularly happy or sad. I wasn't even opinionated about the way it ended. I did ponder some of the parallels that the series brought and I wondered if they were intentional by Rowling or if I was inferring too much. I thought about all the information that was smooshed into the last 4 or 5 chapters. I pondered the what happens next, but not for long.

Without any fanfare or any sorrow life went on. I have been continuing life with no glitches for the last 4 days and that's it. I held one conversation at work about the book, we discussed Voldemort's soul tied under the chair. We discussed the children's names. And then I went back to work.

This has made me ponder today (after I read about Universal Studios building a Harry Potter Theme Park/ attraction in Florida) what ripples in lives has this series made. Many expound upon the children who have formed habits of reading, parents who have spent more time with children talking about the series, reading the books or seeing the movies. What continues now? Will a new series arise that will fill the gap?

So cold in here

Today it is cold. Yes, I know, July 18th and I am writing that it is cold? No, not outside, it's over 90 F with a lot of humidity out there. No, I'm not talking about the warm sunny summer. I speak of my desk. Where I spend at least 8 hours of my day. And it is cold. Seriously cold.

I continue to harbor confusion regarding air conditioning. Humans lived for thousands of years without it, until Willis Haviland Carrier came along. So now how is it that we cannot live without? Or how is it that when it gets hotter outside, we make it even colder inside so that going in or out it is a slight shock to your system?

Milk Scared?

This morning I check out one of the websites that I view on a semi-daily basis (hoping that means almost every day rather than more than once per day... I'm never sure with the semi annual versus bi annual versus whatever). The website is kept up by an unemployed guy in New York. This morning, he blogged about leaving the milk on the counter between cups of coffee and I got stressed. I actually was grossed out by the idea. I think the milk will go bad if it is out of the fridge for more time than it takes to pour what you need. Seriously. My husband finds it amusing that I freak when he leaves the milk on the counter for a minute or two. But me, back in the fridge right away. I like my milk to be cold cold cold. If I pour a glass, I drink it all up. No leaving it in the glass while I dawdley eat and sipping on it while it gets warm. No! It must be icy cold or it'll spoil.

They say we pick up irrational fears from our parents... mom? dad? either of you want to claim this one?

Not here to judge

One week ago, I sat in a line. For 5 hours. To get an iPhone. And not for me. I'm not here to judge, but who does this?

I got to the line by 1 p.m. and the phones went on sale at 6 p.m. The gentlman in the front of the line had been there since 9 a.m. 9 hours for a phone? That's a long time. The gentleman second in line (kind enough to give me his chair as he felt bad for me sitting on the concrete) didn't quite know how he was going to pay $600 for his phone, but figured it would be worth it. The third person in line was a college girl studying pre-med. She and two of her closest girlfriends flitted in and out of line giggling and drinking starbucks. Two more people back was the 13 year old deaf girl who was holding a spot in line for her mother's boss. He showed up 15 minutes before the phone went on sale. And if I understood correctly, the little deaf girl got paid $50 for more than 5 hours of her day. And then there was me in line behind them all. #6 in line for a phone.

Again I stress that I have never sat in line for anything. No game systems, no toys, nothing. And so I chatted with the two apple poster children in the front of the line. I'd stereotype them as computer geeks. They both sat there using the panara wireless network and their iBooks to download the software needed to set up their iPhones that night. They both knew every detail about the phone and how long it had been coming and how it works and what features it could have and on and on and on. Every time someone asked what the line was for one of them had a sarcastic comment, such as "Jesus has come back as a phone."

Mental health day

Today I woke up and wanted to call in sick. Not because I don't like my job, not because I don't want to work, not because I am sick, and not because I'm lazy. Really because I want a mental health day. I think these need to be instituted. I did not coin the term, but heard it from a friend in high school who took them hereself from time to time. I believe that the american worker would be more productive if once per quarter they were allowed a "Mental Health Day." Similar to a sick day or a personal day, but without the guilt of taking it. (Maybe everyone doesn't feel that guilt, but I know my sister is with me on this one... if I'm able to get out of bed, I'm able to go to work and am not sick enough to take a sick day) I'm not sure how to petition for this type of thing, but maybe a letter to my congressman is the answer... I'm sure he's not too busy right now, most likely he's planning for his next recess starting this weekend.

While I work on that, here is my plea, petition yourself for the Menatal Health day as a benefit for workers. I'll suggest you would be allowed to take one every 3 months and if you don't use it you loose it. There need not be a reason to take it, just call in to your boss for a mental health day and that's it. No questions. However the next day, it is your responsibility to come in on time and be productive. Nothing like the day after vacation where you are trying to catch up on work and gossip at the same time. Full productivity. I think that's fair for a no questions asked day. You may say this is the same as a personal day/ vacation day. I say no.

From blogs to books

So I want to start this one by saying what a cool time we live in. I just finished reading a book which the name escapes me about a girl who decided to cook every recipe in Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child in one year. Daunting task it was, she started a blog about it. The blog got popular, got publicity, and she ended up writing an entire book about the project. Her name was Julie something so she called it the Julie/ Julia Project. Maybe that's the name of the book.

What an amazing time that from doing whatever job and writing a simple blog on some specific topic, many people have become psudo authors and written book(s) about some specific topic near and dear to their heart. Whether it be french cooking or some girl's love life, or anonomous secrets that started as an art project... the internet and blogging has not only given us a bigger bathroom wall to scrawl our ramblings on, but has opened a new genre of literature and art.

Dungeons and

Movies? I know I am late if you have already seen this blog, but I was recently introduced to The Lord of the Rings as a Dungeons and Dragons adventure. Now if you have never played D & D and think that it is a nerd only game where they all sit around with their pocket protectors and bags of dice... you may be right. But we used to play as a family and it was fun. (I may have just caused one or more people to judge me and or my family) So I sti and read 100 pages of this story. He follows closely to the plot allowing for the various misfortunes of allowing players to make decisions on their own.

This caused me to marvel at the wonders of the internet and what it has done for society. We can now share our funny doodles with the world, we can now share our views and opinions with the world, we can now share our deepest thoughts and secrets with the world and we can all share our random mumblings with the world. All thanks to the blogs and personal webpages.

And there I go back to the bathroom wall of society. 867-5309

It's a bug's life

Today I spent many minutes "google-ing" the insect known as a praying mantis. My husband has a kindergarten class that needed a science project. After the tadpoles were knocked off the table by a child, a new something was needed. A trip to the discovery store found a praying mantis habitat, including a mail in form to get your ootheca (that's the egg sack). Once you get the ootheca, put it in the habitat and wait 1 to 3 weeks for it to hatch.

Today was that right amount of 1-3 weeks for the manti to hatch in my husband's classroom. about 50 of them came out of the little sack. And now according to the internet and the book that came with the habitat, these little guys (about the size of an ant) need to eat or they will eat eachother.

Here comes the fun part... the book suggested trapping fruit flies by putting a half banana in a mason jar outside and when there are a good number of fruit flies on it, shut the jar. Seems simple, so we did this last week. Yesterday afternoon still no fruit flies. Seriously? If I leave a brown banana in my kitchen for a day there are fruit flies galore... but in my back yard nothing? Maybe it's the time of year... so we tried the other trick from the book to catch bugs. We dug a hole in the back yard garden, put a jar in the hole, filled in with dirt around the jar. walking bug falls in and can't get back out. Pull jar out of the hole, put lid on and mantis food. Last night we did this, this morning no bugs.

So in between working and being at work, I searched and searched on line to find fruit flies and how you catch them, breed them, whatever. Also what do you do to feed a mantis. The best site I found was http://mantiskingdom.com/. DeShawn raises manti and has for the majority of his life. I figure he knows stuff. So I read. Turns out, these things will eat eachother and need to eat constantly, but will overeat and explode their tummies if you aren't careful. Then they can molt and mate and make new egg sack- ootheca and you start the process over again.

Just so you don't picture these little ant like guys eating eachother, we got them small crickets on the assurance of the petstore guy that they can eat these. My husband is excited. I never realized what a girly girl I am, I feel something crawling on me whenever I think of the mantis babies.