Originality Is SO Overrated

Small Wonders

2007-06-14T08:26:00.000-07:00

I wasn't in the best of moods today when I came to work. I dread the place and it always seems to put me in a bad mood just driving there. That, combined with sad news reports on NPR on the radio, the kids being a bit difficult before I left for work, and a minor spat with my honey, left me feeling quite a bit more down than usual when I came into the office. Luckily for me, though, I am easily brightened witnessing the beautiful miracles of nature...

A sweet, small, personal-sized rainbow was waiting to greet me on my desk. Granted, it was just a simple refraction of light coming from the window and bouncing off a CD on my desk, but still. It is gorgeous in it's simplicity and I was thankful. For if I'd arrived at work just a minute later, I'd have missed it altogether. I had just enough time to snap this picture and smile at it for a moment. Then I turned my back to see if anyone else had noticed my odd picture taking tendencies... and it was gone. But, I have it here now and I know it will brighten up many other days for me.

My Purse

2007-05-10T12:25:00.000-07:00

Ok, it took me long enough to get all these photos loaded, but I've finally done it. When I first saw this meme on Katrina's blog, I was SO excited. My best friend, Joy!, and I used to do this practically every single day. We'd be sitting together before school and inevitably, one of us would reach over to grab a piece of gum, or perhaps a pen. The reason was irrelevant, we just wanted to see what the other person found important enough to drag around in her purse each day. Often, we'd find carefully folded notes from our respective boyfriends, and these were special finds. It was always fun to giggle together over what "THE LOVE OF MY/HER LIFE" had to say or what he deemed romantic or important. Naturally, we found notes of our own handwriting to each other, as this was a frequent occurrence. Empty gum wrappers, coins, notes, wallets with friends and/or boyfriends pictures, spare feminine products... all were fair game to be dragged out onto the floor for comment and examination. That's why I was so happy to see this meme. It brought back so many memories.

So, without further delay, here is my purse of today. Simple, casual, and fun. It has many extra pockets so everything has a special place.Let's see what's inside:

All the "important" things, of course.
Cortizone 10 for all those pesky mosquito bites (I swear, I am a mosquito magnet),
a 4 GB stick drive for transferring data from one computer to another (LOVE it!),
A "Red Ribbon Week" bracelet that my daughter gave me,
and the first digital camera I ever owned with its USB cable. See the Post-It note under it for size comparison? It's a "key chain" camera. Impulse buy, what can I say?
And here is a gym teachers whistle... because... you never know when you might... need to teach gym class? I dunno. Something my mom said about warding off attackers, but seriously? If I'm being attacked, the last thing on my mind will be digging to the bottom of my purse for a whistle.

And here is the most awesome girl wallet in the world. I use it for cards, mostly. Insurance cards, Winn Dixie card, appointment reminder cards, you get the drift...
I've had it for years, and even though the zipper gets stuck from time to time, I can't bring myself to get rid of it. Look how much stuff it holds!
And it's super-slim!
Here we have my checkbook and a notebook for list making...
Uh, I was planning on making that list a little bit later...
Here is my money wallet. It's where the green stuff goes...
For size comparison, again we have a Post-It:
Let's see what's in here...
Oh, look! It's a shirt dollar! Yes, I did that myself and you can, too!
Here are all the receipts that end up in my purse in a vain attempt to keep a handle on my finances.
Ooh! A paycheck!
A pre-stamped envelope, just in case...
My daughters broken reflector for her bicycle... I keep it with me so that when I go to Wal-Mart I'll have it for comparison so I get the same kind.
Here is my MP3 Player. I love this thing.
Look at the pretty display!
Oh, and what's this? It slides open to reveal an external speaker. Did you notice the display changes directions, too?
My rugged Nextel...
I honestly have no idea what this is. I mean, it's some kind of charm, but where it came from or why, I have no idea. My grandmother gave it to me, so I have to keep it. It's missing a leaf, though...
And here's the bottom of my purse... a couple of batteries, my seldom-used Winn Dixie key chain... thingy, a pocket knife (yet another thing my mother thinks I need in order to be safe... seriously? How am I supposed to be able to dig that thing out in time to protect myself? It just makes no sense...), and wait, what's this?
It's the missing leaf from that charm that my granny gave me!
Oh, I missed this pocket... keys, mostly...
Yes, I have three sets of keys.
This one is the biggest. I have another Winn Dixie card (which, by the way, I almost NEVER go there. Publix is much closer), a sharpie mini, spare car key, post office box key, mom's house key, my two house keys (front door and utility shed), and my old house key (because I'm too lazy to get rid of it yet).
The one on the right is the key chain that I use for my work keys. It so fits. The one on the left is for my car key, because somebody once told me that it's bad for the ignition to have heavy keys dangling from it, although come to think of it, I've never heard of anyone actually having that problem... oh, the key chain also says some derogatory things about men in general... I bought it during an immature phase...
Little teeny, tiny filing cabinet work keys...
An extra Sharpie mini, my super-cool-no-you-cannot-borrow-it pen, and doctors appointments scribbled onto an envelope...
extra stamps (price just went up to .41, can you believe it?)...
and some two-cent stamps to help me get rid of the old stamps...
a mini Post-it pad, a blue eyeglass-cleaning cloth, an orange pocket mirror, a credit-card-shaped floss dispenser, Max Factor 460 Cocoa Shimmer lipstick, and a navel ring that is missing the ball...

Well, that's about it. That's everything that I carry around on a daily basis. Sometimes the items vary, but for the most part, that's it. I think you can tell a lot about me by what I carry around with me. Some of it's weird, some of it's cool, some of it is DEFINATELY silly, but surprise! Some of it is responsible and practical. Yeah, I'm cool with that.

Tag! You're it! Amy, UC, and Joy!, it's your turn. I want to see what's in your bag.

Loltrek rox

2007-05-03T08:48:00.000-07:00

I'm a big fan of lolcats. In case you don't know what they are, lolcats are just cute pictures of cats with funny captions. Like this:

Or this:

One of my favorite places to see lolcats is I Can Has Cheeseburger. I can always count on this site being updated multiple times a day, so no matter what, I can go there and get a good laugh. Today was no exception. In fact, one of today's posts was so funny that I had to share. They offered a link to this post (from Live Grandes), which is arguably one of the funniest things I've ever seen.

I'm a big fan of Star Trek; I can blame my mother for that one. She's had me watching it with her since before I can remember. She even went so far as to drag me to conventions on a couple of occasions. Anyway, not really sure where I was going with that except to say that The Trouble With Tribbles was my all-time favorite episode growing up, so this is an adorably funny tribute/hybrid of two of my favorite things.

I'm still giggling...

Yeaaahhhh, About That...

2007-05-02T07:25:00.000-07:00

Ugh. Do I have to? Ok, fine. It's not that I don't want to blog. I LOVE blogging. I especially love it when I get awesome feedback from the half-dozen people that stick around. I just don't want to be that person that does... well, basically what I just did up there, giving excuses. But, since you insist, I'll make an explanatory list.

1) I'm tired.

2) I just moved into a new house. A fantastic house that was built in 1959 and happens to be right across the street From. The. Beach. AND it has a backyard WITH a fence. So, yeah, moving. It kinda feeds back into reason number one.

3) My job is nearing the completion date and I can no longer sucessfully blog at work. Reasons for that are:
a) Less time to do it. And,
b) I'm now sharing space with two other people.

4) My boyfriend is a complete ~~tool~~ ~~moron~~ ... uh, bless his sweet little heart, I love him so much, but he just CAN'T keep from screwing up the computer at home. He has less than a year of "tech" experience and can barely navigate email. Why, oh WHY on earth would he insist on playing in Windows Explorer and clicking on every little thing that catches his attention? I don't know. If you know, could you tell me? Anyway, I have GIVEN UP on being able to use the computer after he's done a complete system restore not once, not twice, but THREE times now. And, I'm not sure how, but he's even screwed that up. So, twice now (TWICE!!!) I have spent an hour or so, reinstalling all the proper drivers and programs that I like, getting it back to "functioning" order, only to have him screw it up so thoroughly that he's left with no choice (in his opinion) but to completely wipe it all out. Oh. And he's convinced that malicious hackers have hidden in his computer and are stealing his information. Nevermind that he doesn't have anything on there worth stealing and the fact that three different virus scanners say that there is nothing (NOTHING) wrong. So, all of that kinda goes into the next reason:

5) I want to get a new computer so bad. Just for me. I've got the money. I've been squirrling away the pennies for awhile now. Since I haven't had time to do anything recreational at work anymore, I had been using the one at home more often. At least, until... you know. It's too painful to speak of. So, I simply MUST get a new computer. I'm getting a Mac. Yes, I know Dell's are relatively inexpensive and I know that Vista's not that bad. But, I need more. I haven't heard One. Single. Thing. that is negative about a Mac. What I have heard is that they run faster. And that you can run both the Mac operating system AND Windows. And, all the programs and features that I have checked out are simply amazing. The few people that I know of that are familiar with Macs recommend them. One even went so far as to say, "Buy a Mac and don't look back." Hmmm.

So, that's pretty much it in a nutshell. That's why I barely blog. But, I promise. This is not the way it will be forever. I promise there will come a day when I sit down each evening and jot down my thoughts and share them. Hell, they might even be funny.

Has anyone said...streetlight, yet?

2007-02-20T10:30:00.000-08:00

Oh, I'm still cracking up...days after I started reading this thread posted on Fark. I was originally compelled to run over there and read through it by none other than Wil Wheaton (of Star Trek fame)(I loves me some Wil Wheaton). If you've got some time to kill, you should definitely start to read it, but be warned: it could take awhile to finish. I was cracking up so much that I only got about a quarter of the way through before I had to give up and come back the next day. Might want to consider reading it in installments, or whenever you just need a good "pick me up".

I so want that design as a t-shirt. Wonder how many people would actually get it without an explaination?

Cool Update: Fark has posted the "Apology Thread" where much more hilarity has ensued, causing me to forgo getting anything done for the rest of the day. I wonder how long this thread will go? Too funny...

A new cliche is born: It's a streetlight! - something that is mysterious beyond comprehension for some, and mind numbingly obvious for others.

Happy Valen...Whatever. Love. Yada, Yada.

2007-02-14T19:36:00.000-08:00

Chocolate, flowers, dinner...it's all so empty. Seriously, who really gets happy about these holidays anymore? What once was a time for people to come together and celebrate their love for each other is now just another day to groan and dread...

It should be said that I love my honey and appreciate every little thing he does for me...on any day OTHER than today...

My honey made me happy, I suppose. He played all the right cards, dinner, chocolate, lots of the requisite "I love you" floating about (and I gave him a card and chocolate), but deep down, I don't think either one of us was having a good time. I mean, we could have been eating the same dinner at home for about half the price. And we would've been comfortable in our jammies, laughing at each others silliness. Honestly? I feel more "Valentine-y" with my honey on just about any day that isn't today.

We didn't talk about it much, but we could both feel it. It's just such a forced feeling...that commercialization, that Hallmark-y feeling, that state of mind when something just isn't natural anymore. I'll be glad when today is over and we can just get back to loving each other with no pressure.

We called her UC

2007-02-10T18:44:00.000-08:00

I surely hope that I'm wrong, but I think Undercover Celebrity pulled her blog. The url is now just advertisments for...spammy-type junk. I'm here to tell you that I think that stinks. In my opinion, she is a very funny blogger and I hope she's ok.

Life goes on, I guess, but practically all of the first dozen or so blogs I really got into were because of finding her blog. Truly one of my favorites.

Cheers, UC. You'll be missed.

Instead Of Something Great, I'll Just Give You This...

2007-02-08T18:32:00.000-08:00

Ugh. I am so sick of work, I don't know what to do.

Sorry for the lack of posts...like you've been anxiously biting your nails in anticipation of the words to come forth or something...but still. I'll get it together soon, maybe think of something to write about when I'm not so tired and burned out from the job.

The Beginning Of An Epic Tale?

2007-01-26T07:28:00.000-08:00

So much for the promise I made to myself to blog more often. Work has become an all-consuming task once again. I know that it's never good to let work get to you that way, but it still sneaks in anyway. I feel intense pressure from the Chuckles to work my tail off, and he still makes me want to reach out and slap him sometimes with his despicable disposition. I honestly have never been in such a demeaning position. It's perfectly miserable and I long for the day when this project is over and he has moved on to another state and another project. I'll have the balance restored once again to my life and my lovely beach town.

Thanks for letting me get that off my chest.

I bought a book a few weeks back. Nestled in my arms, in between Accounting for Dummies and Rich Dad's Guide To Investing, was a book I knew I probably wouldn't get around to right away. You might call it an impulse purchase, but I knew as soon as I saw it that I wanted it.

I have always like to write, but seem to suffer from this terrible sense of "writer's block". Only, it's not really writer's block, it's just that every idea I have for something good to write about disappears when I sit down in front of the computer screen. Well, no more. As soon as I saw this book, I said to myself, "Wow. A book that will tell me step-by-step how to write about a subject I know very well."

The title of the book? Writing My Life: The Step-by-Step Autobiography. Because if there's one thing I know about more than anybody else in this world, it's me. And isn't that what a blog is sort of supposed to be based on? Well, maybe not everybody's blog, but certainly a bunch of them are.

Anyway, that was the reason I started my blog to begin with, even though I didn't fully know it then. I wanted an outlet to jot down my feelings, ideas, memories, aspirations, motivations, and heartaches. The only problem with that was that my own feelings got in my way. I would have a thought, and immediately a story stretched out from it and I would long to jot it down, but by the time I got to the computer the witty lines had fled, details seemed unimportant, and suddenly the whole story seemed pointless, trite, simplistic, stupid even. Of course, this is just the Inner Critic Monster that loves to eat good ideas for breakfast. These feelings were compacted and multiplied when I also realized that other people read this blog. Suddenly, the Inner Critic Monster has joined forces with the Stage Fright Monster. What a formidable enemy!

When I purchased this book I knew it would be good for, if nothing else, sparking old memories. And, I figure there's at least one or two stories from my past that I'd like to remember. So, I'm hoping to squash those monsters standing in my way. I'm tired of caring what everybody thinks, especially my own inner critic. I am who I am, and I want to put it all down "on paper" before I'm too old to remember things... like that one time a childhood friend of mine and I rode our bikes to the grocery store... at three o'clock in the morning. Or, the day in high school I tried out for the majorette squad. Or, the time when I was two and fell down the basement steps.

They say that a good place to begin is the beginning, so I guess that's where I'll start and we'll see where that takes us.

I only know this from what my mom and dad tell me, but I have it on their good authority that I was born on a Tuesday. September 25th, 1979 at 12:23 PM, to be exact. I was born in Houston, Tx. I always thought that was really cool, that I'm a Texas girl by birth.

Sad, then, that I didn't get to grow up there. When I was just three months old, my mom decided to leave my dad and go back home to her parents in Birmingham, Alabama. I kind of never really liked that.

My mom and dad had been married for nine years before they had me. I believe that my dad was in Vietnam for most of the beginning of their marriage, but the implications of the fact that they divorced soon after having me isn't lost on me. Add in the fact that my dad said my mom never really wanted kids, a fact later confirmed by my mom, and you've got a stereotype in the making.

I'm pretty sure that my mom left my dad because he was on drugs at the time. It was the late seventies, he was a Vietnam vet with his own set of problems, all in all it just wasn't a good marriage anymore.

I didn't even know I HAD a dad until I was four. In fact that is one of my earliest childhood memories. I remember my mom dressing me up in my nicest dress and telling me that I was going to get to meet my daddy. I remember my Nana (my mom's mom) didn't like it too much, she was visably upset that he'd be coming to their house. As it turns out, the reason I'd never met him before is because he'd been in jail for distribution of drugs. At the time, in the early eighties, when he and his brother got busted, it was one of the largest busts in the area he was in. I am happy to say up front at this point that my dad is a very different man now. Although I don't agree with everything he's about, he's always been a wonderful daddy. He told me once when I was twelve that when I was born, he began to see his whole life going in a different direction.

So, there we all were. Me, my mom, my Nana, and my granddaddy on one side, my dad, and his dad, my Paw Paw on the other. I was just a child, but that is one of the most clear memories I have. I was so unbelievably happy that I had a dad like all the other kids I knew. I just remember staring at him, searching his face, realizing that we had the same nose, the same ears, the same color eyes, the same curly hair. He spoke gently to me and told me all about himself, he told me that he drove trucks for a living and got to drive all the way up to New York every week. He told me stories about how big the buildings were up there. He told me that he was so happy to be spending time with me and that he couldn't wait to see me more.

I only got to see my dad at Christmas time after that, though. My Nana didn't really let him keep his promise to me. She didn't like him coming to the house, so my mom would take me to my Granny and Paw Paw's house on Christmas Day. The Christmas after I turned six, he wasn't able to come. He was on the road somewhere, driving a big rig. I didn't mind too much, though. It's become one of my favorite memories, me and my Paw Paw sitting together in his workshop behind the house, talking to my daddy for the first time on a CB radio. We had snow flurries that day, too, probably the closest I'll ever come to having a white Christmas.

I don't really have a good way to end this story except to say that a lot of my fond childhood memories revolve around my dad. He turned out to be a pretty good guy. I often feel like if he'd been able to spend more time with me growing up that I might not have been such a rebellious teenager, but who knows. I'm just glad he was there.

Back By Popular Demand!!

2007-01-16T20:26:00.000-08:00

(From Snay and Egan, anyway...)

Wow. Ten whole days and people wonder if I'm dead. How cool is that? It's awesome to know you're missed.

Since I apparently am suffering from writers-block-itis, let me share with you a typical day in the life of Jules and the reasons I tell myself that I don't blog:

I get up at five every morning. I keep saying that I want to actually use this time in the morning for a bike ride. But, I still have to go actually get a bike, so...you know. I sit around and drink coffee instead and watch the news.

On a totally unrelated note, my youngest daughter is in kindergarten with the son of the local morning anchor lady on the news. Isn't that neat? Feels like I know a celebrity or something. Anyway, moving right along!

After my honey gets ready and leaves at five thirty, I usually read. I know that sounds odd, but it's the only time of the day that I can actually concentrate on anything just for me. And all before six o'clock in the morning!

At six, I wake the kids up and do the mad scramble of getting three girls (including moi) ready in the morning, two for school and one for work.

Out the door by seven.

I drop off the kids at 7:15 and sit at my desk by 7:30. And that's when things begin to bog down. In case you've never seen it, Office Space would probably give you a hint. While I'm not wilting away in a cubicle farm anymore, the boss still has the similarities. *sigh. I refuse to make this post a rant about my boss again.

I would blog at work, but they've actually been giving me real work lately! Who knew? So, that's been a source of stress.

Then, I come home, cook, and look through homework. By then, the day is over! I get the kids bathed and in bed and that's all she wrote...at least on nights when I don't stay up late to blog about it.

Site Meter

2007-01-06T18:36:00.000-08:00

I added site meter today. I've been meaning to do it since the beginning, but...well, you know how it goes. It looked pretty wimpy saying just one visitor, so I had to change the date and number. I just threw 2000 visitors out there since February 2006, even though I have no way of knowing whether that's terribly over-inflated or not. I can already tell I'm going to be terribly addicted to checking it; seeing where people came from and things like that. I'm very OCD like that, having to know every single detail.

Just Under The Wire

2006-12-31T21:02:00.000-08:00

Well, it's 11:02 PM on New Year's Eve. I guess it's time for a resolution.

I've never been good at keeping those things. At least, I wasn't till last years resolution. I said that I would quit smoking and I quit nearly two months ago. So, yea! I think I will have many resolutions this year.

1) I will be a more patient mother.

2) I will continue to be a non-smoker.

3) I will save no less than $50 a week.

4) I will own a new truck by the end of the year.

5) I will finally tone that damn mid-section and have a vicious six-pack.

6) I will take the family on a vacation to Colorado.

I am fairly certain that I will keep at least three of these. The other three will be tough to pull off. I'll let you wonder which is which.

Well, I think this post is about as lame as it's going to get, so theoretically it can only get better. Too bad I'm ready to get off the computer now, huh?

(by the way, some chick on MTV just dropped the F-bomb. She is so fired.)

Nothing Like Returning To A Full Inbox

2006-12-26T07:15:00.000-08:00

Remind me to never leave town again. Or, rather, maybe I just shouldn't ever be disconnected from the internet like that again. It's going to take me three weeks just to catch up on all my blog reading! How on earth did any of you have time to post during the holidays? Oh, well. I look forward to each and every one I will be reading. My inbox at work is overflowing, my suitcases are still waiting to be unpacked, and I'm exhausted. But, oh well. It's been a great week. I hope everyone had a great holiday and I'll be back to post soon!

Officially The Longest Post EVER, or, A Vacation!

2006-12-18T18:41:00.000-08:00

I felt like a princess all weekend. The company Christmas party was this weekend in Biloxi at the Beau Rivage, and me and my honey went all out.

My hair made me happy. It felt very Rapunzel-esque and glamorous. I spent an hour at the hairdresser being pulled by combs and prodded by over thirtyfrigginfive pins, but it was totally worth it. Men, you see what we go through to look fantastic for you, yes?

Oh, and by the way? That's all my hair, thankyouVERYmuch. Who started this extension craze, huh? Back in my day, if you wanted long hair, by God, you had to grow it your dang self! I've spent the last four or five years getting my hair that long...anyway!

So, the party was wonderful. There was dinner, dancing, over two or three hundred guests, and just an all around good time.

The Beau Rivage is such a FABULOUS resort AND casino! We played the slots and had tons of fun with a few rounds of Black Jack. It's always nice when you're not playing to win, because we sure as heck didn't. Ha! But, it was such a great night and SO much fun I can't even describe. Did I mention that I felt like a princess? Right down to the shoes.

My dress was sparkly and the shoes were, too. Funny think about those shoes. We had just driven north about an hour to drop the kids and doggie off with some ~~friends~~ charitable, magnanimous angels who are friends of ours. So, we dropped off the kids et. al., got that rush of excitement and hit the road to begin our four-and-some-change-hour drive...

Me: *squeals* Ooh, we're on our way!

Honey: I know! I'm so excited, it's gonna be so great.

Half an hour later...

My heart literally nearly stopped, eyes flew open wide, and I couldn't breathe. Honey looked at me with concern.

Him: What's wrong?!?

Me: I. think. I. forgot. some...th-th-thing.

I was trying hard to catch my breath and not actually die in the car from shock because I was pretty f-ing positive I forgot my shoes. The shoes that I had to go to three different department stores to find because OF COURSE the department store that sold me the dress didn't have ANYTHING that matched the dress. The dress that was charcoal gray and was just the right size and just the right amount of glittery and swingy and that I loved and wasn't taking back. Oh, yeah. We were already an hour and a half into our drive by that time and was I really, REALLY prepared to go back? WHO does this happen to? Me, that's who. I think the world imploded and time slowed down in these few seconds while the realization hit home.

I told him and waited for the reaction. My honey love looked right at me, put his hand over mine and gave me a grim smile and said, "Well, we'll just have to be fashionably late, won't we, baby? You have to have your shoes." I loved him a whole lot in that moment and felt better. While I was still reeling over how ridiculous the situation was and how awful I felt for causing it, having him be so charming and sweet about it really helped.

We did go back. We got the shoes and took a different route to get out of the area to the interstate and all in all, we only lost forty-five minutes doing it. We ended up talking and laughing the whole way over to Biloxi and had fifteen minutes to get dressed for the party after checking in. Whew! Good thing my hair was done before we left home.

Ok, so my story has gotten a little out of order.

Like I said, the party was fantastic. I got to meet tons of people that I work and deal with directly through email and phone calls each day. That was so nice. I consider some of these people to be good friends, based on the fact that I've known them for well over a year, nevermind that I'd never actually seen them. It was really great and there were many hugs and smiles all around.

We ducked out of the party a little early to hit the casino and then called it a night at about two or three in the morning. I can't remember the last time I did that, but there's a reason it doesn't happen often.

Our room was exquisite. The bed was so soft I didn't move all night. When we woke up the next day, we ordered room service. Now, I don't know about you, but I'm just a sheltered, poor little ol' country girl. I've never HAD room service. I was speechless. They wheeled in this enormous table that held a veritable FEAST upon it. I had ordered the blueberry pancakes with warm blueberry compote, whipped cream and syrup. He had the Beau Breakfast, which included standards of eggs, silver-dollar pancakes, bacon, hashbrowns, and the like. I officially want to be rich just so I can be served like that every day. I didn't even have to get out of the bed! And my hair still looked fantastic, even after sleeping on it, because of the ten pounds of hairspray that was applied to it.

After much lounging and canoodling, we decided it was time to hit the road. We'd had our fill of the gambling and the high-life for one weekend.

On our way home, we decided to take the scenic route since we were in no hurry to get back. Our friends were keeping the kids (and dog!) for the remainder of the weekend and we had nothing but time. From Biloxi, we took the interstate to Mobile, Al, then headed south. Got stuck at a railroad crossing for about twenty minutes. I haven't missed that about Alabama.

On the road again, we continued south...

...till we could go south no more and arrived at...

I just love driving along this part of our coast. There are so many little barrier islands like this, with their adorable little pastel houses, and long bridges over the water, and miles of beautiful undisturbed beaches.

We went all the way to the end of the island, as far as we could go, when we found a bird sanctuary. So, naturally, we had to go exploring...

We didn't see any copperheads (water moccasins) or alligators, but there were plenty of posted signs to warn us of such, and we even found a hole that we were positive could be big enough for a gator to curl up in.

So, after that, we took the ferry off the island to Orange Beach, Al. I've never been on a ferry before, that was interesting. Sitting in the car that's not moving, but looking out over the edge of the boat and knowing that you are moving. If I was weak of stomach this might actually make me sick, but it was just an unusual feeling.

We got out and walked around; there was only one other car on the ferry. They had a doggie with them and that made us a bit homesick for our little scruffums (read: dog, large) as well as the kids.

Once we came off the boat, we went and had lunch at one of those little seafood restaurants that dot the beaches. The food was excellent and the company was even better. We drove on for a bit, but we were kind of worn out from all the activity and new places and just stuff, that we decided to make it to Pensacola Beach and just chill for the night. Which we did.

We watched movies and talked and slept. Woke up the next day and headed home to get the kids and doggie. What a fun trip.

No, Really. It's Overrated.

2006-12-12T13:07:00.000-08:00

Apparently, this is what I am*. But...didn't I kinda point that out in the title of this blog? Yeah, that's what I thought. Told ya so.

*You know it's rigged, right?

You Are What You Eat

2006-12-01T19:32:00.000-08:00

Ever wonder what that phrase really means? Well, I know that as a child, that phase was first introduced to me as a vehicle to get me to eat healthy foods and make good choices to that end. Now that I'm an adult, I know that means literally, and figuratively, anything I put into my body will affect who and what I am. If I smoke every day, I will rot myself from the inside out. (Which I haven't, by the way! Nearly 3 whole weeks!) If I eat nothing but junk food and fatty crap every day, I will end up looking like...well, fatty crap. If I watch filth and violence on television every day, my thoughts will gravitate towards filth and violence.

Naturally, this does not apply only to negative things. If I exercise every day, my body becomes stronger and more fit. If I eat the proper foods every day, I will be healthy and full of life. Now. This brings me back to the mind. If I fill it with good, worthwhile information, naturally it will gravitate towards those things. I know I'm being a bit vague, bear with me for a moment.

I really hate to post about this at all. On the one hand, nothing would make me happier than to know that several people take what I'm going to say in this post the way that I want them to. Because, believe me, that would be a great thing to me. On the other hand, I myself am just beginning on my own journey and wouldn't want my lack of education on the subject to turn people off to what is out there. And, on top of all that, you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink (even if it IS good for you, drink, already! Dangit!). So, with that said...

I've always loved to read. Ever since I was a little girl, you could probably find me curled up somewhere with a book. I've read all kinds of things, mysteries, romance novels, sci-fi fantasy, historical fiction...I could go on, but you get the idea. Up until recently, reading has always been strictly for pleasure, nothing more. And it truly was a pleasure.

And then one day I read this post by Amy and I was intrigued. I've read books before where I came away from it knowing something new, and I'm not saying I've never read with the intent to learn. But I am saying that this was the first time that it was my sole intent. And it was like a light bulb went on. I expanded my mind and I enjoyed it. That was it for me. I realised that I could fulfill my love of reading but, hey, while I'm at it, I might as well be learning. Ha! Multi-tasking! Some of you out there may be saying, 'what is she talking about? Everyone knows that!' If this is common knowledge to you, hey. More power to you. That's not my point, dip$!*t. Keep your shirt on and let me get to my point.

What do you do if you want to become a doctor? Well, making a vastly generic description, you read a lot of books on the subject and spend lots of time talking to and working with other doctors. Mentors, if you will.

What do you do if you want to learn how to become a scuba diver? Well, you spend a lot of time with an instructor (and probably read an article or two or twenty on the subject, if you really dig it).

What do you do if you want to become...what did you say? Get to the point already? Oh, crap. Ya'll are really impatient, and kinda rude. But, ok. I'll humor you just this once.

What do you do if you want to be successful in life? My parents (and probably your parents) would say, "Go to school and get good grades so you can get a secure, good-paying job." But, to a lot of people, to be considered successful you have to have money. Um, but I didn't go to college to learn to be an accountant or a banker-type person. What do I do? Well, you educate yourself, that's what you do. Regular school certainly didn't do that for me.

Let me ask you this. You know who Bill Gates is, right? That stinkin' rich guy who has more money than 10 lifetimes could burn? If he walked up to you and offered to spend a day with you, teaching you what he knew, how many of you would turn him down? Or what about Donald Trump? I didn't think so.

The thing is: most of us come home everyday and fill our heads with crap. We come home at night to the television or computer or video game system and we waste our time. We zone out and vegetate and waste our lives away and then lament and moan when our waistlines get wider and our paychecks don't get bigger. I know. I'm there, right now. Or at least, I was, till a few weeks ago. I've struggled all my adult life. Working hard every day, bringing home less than I needed, depressed a majority of the time, always wondering why I had it so rough when others were so successful. I'd be so depressed that I'd come home and zone out to forget about how crappy life can be. I never really believed that was my lot in life, or destiny if you will, but I didn't know what to do about it.

Someone-that-I-know and I have been in similar situations like this on and off over the years, feeling despondent, not knowing how to change our situations and she would tell me, "Coming home and playing a few video games is my only guilty pleasure right now. I work hard all day and this is like my reward." While I can certainly sympathise with how she feels, I can't agree. I once read somewhere that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing, over and over, and expecting different results. So, if I get up and go to work everyday and work hard, and come home every night and unwind with a movie or a game, and I do this day in and day out and I am underpaid and unfulfilled, when and how do I break free? It would seem to me that I have no choice (at least in the short-term) about the "work" part of my day. I still need to get up and go to work if I'm going to eat and have a place to live. But, what about the rest of my day? Certainly a change can be made in my free time. That's when I can break free of the rut. By doing something different. Some people don't have the will-power or motivation to be different. They may feel "martyr-like", or maybe like the "system" owes them something. "Why should I change?" I can hear some of you say. Hmm...well, last I checked, the only person who can make me do anything is ME.

I'm telling you that book I read opened a door for me. And it wasn't because of the content. It was because of the light bulb it turned on. Actually, this post isn't about that book at all, it's about this one. This is the book that this post is about. If you want something that will truly fascinate you, broaden you view, and open the door to what everyone dreams about, this is where I would start. Well, it may be where you start, I already did. Do you want to borrow my copy? I don't want to be stuck in this life where I constantly live two or three paychecks (if I'm lucky) from broke. I would actually like to make something of my life and be able to do the things that I want to do. Provide for my children, have a little fun, be able to take care of my parents when they get old, that kind of thing. These are not pipe-dreams, people. These are the daily dreams of thousands, nay millions of people everywhere. I would hope so, anyway.

So, back to Bill Gates and Donald Trump. If they told you how you could even take a small piece of that pie, just by reading a book here and there, would you do it? I'm sure some of you know that Bill Gates was a college drop-out. What about Henry Ford or John D. Rockefeller? I was reading a book the other day that listed several people like this, highly successful, but not necessarily highly educated. Why do you think that is?

Back to my examples of the doctor and the scuba diver. Which, by the way, is a really crappy example, but I can't think of anything better. Anyway, if you want to be something (insert WHATEVER you want to be here), you read up on the subject and spend time being with and emulating people already in that position. So. You may not know too many Bill Gates, but I bet you know at least one person who is more successful than you. How did they get where they are? Being that not everyone can be best friends with Donald Trump, wouldn't it be nice to pick his brain by reading one of his books? Even if I only gleaned ONE PERCENT of his knowledge from what I read, I'd be a smarter person. That, to me, is worth it.

Here is the review that I read on Amazon about this book:

Personal-finance author and lecturer Robert Kiyosaki developed his unique economic perspective through exposure to a pair of disparate influences: his own highly educated but fiscally unstable father, and the multimillionaire eighth-grade dropout father of his closest friend. The lifelong monetary problems experienced by his "poor dad" (whose weekly paychecks, while respectable, were never quite sufficient to meet family needs) pounded home the counterpoint communicated by his "rich dad" (that "the poor and the middle class work for money," but "the rich have money work for them"). Taking that message to heart, Kiyosaki was able to retire at 47. Rich Dad, Poor Dad, written with consultant and CPA Sharon L. Lechter, lays out his the philosophy behind his relationship with money. [Robert Kiyosaki's] book compellingly advocates for the type of "financial literacy" that's never taught in schools. Based on the principle that income-generating assets always provide healthier bottom-line results than even the best of traditional jobs, it explains how those assets might be acquired so that the jobs can eventually be shed.

I decided that I wanted to participate in this, which was my inspiration for posting today. Thanks so much to Diesel for coming up with what is turning out to be not so crappy of an idea after all. I would highly recommend the book, Rich Dad, Poor Dad to him or anyone else.

I hope that whatever I've said, you'll read the book to make up your own mind about it, form your own educated opinion. I can only share my thoughts on it and hope that someone will gain from it. And for any of you who are all "seeing is believing", well come see me in a few years and I'll let you know how it's going. I have a feeling I've taken a turn and things will be better.

NaBloOhCrap

2006-11-29T06:24:00.000-08:00

I tried so hard. 15 posts for November really isn't that great; I could have sworn I did better than that. But, it's leaps and bounds more than I had been doing in the past, so I guess that's a good thing. I will try to keep up with it more in the future.

Maybe I'm Enjoying It A Little Too Much...

2006-11-21T11:23:00.000-08:00

Hehehe. Through no fault of my own, everyone at work now calls the boss "Chuckles". And he is visibly uncomfortable with the dainty sounding nickname. It's kinda fun to watch him squirm.

Well...There's ONE Good Thing...

2006-11-19T09:00:00.000-08:00

...and that would be this. And also this. That could be the one thing I like about this time of year.

Happy F-ing Holidays

2006-11-19T06:57:00.000-08:00

Disclaimer: This post is not, I repeat, NOT for my mother. Mom, don't read it. I know you want to, but just don't. I love you!!

Next week, in honor of Turkey Day, I get one whole day off of work. But, even better than that is the fact that my parents will be taking the kids for four.whole.days.

I cannot tell you how badly a break is needed. Since moving to the Sunshine State, my ~~relief workers~~ relatives are in short supply. I make the annual obligatory treks to the cold, distant North* somewhat reluctantly, even though it does usually afford me some well-deserved alone time.

See, there's always some kind of price I have to pay for visiting my parents and letting them have the kids. Sure, they adore my children with a love that knows no bounds and are happy to keep them on any available opportunity they receive. However. This does not in any way prevent them from giving me the third-degree about any and every aspect of my life for hours on end and then lecturing me about it.

You know, I wish that I could properly convey exactly what it is like dealing with my mother. I'll be sure to write about this in excess after the holiday hullabaloo is over (or maybe even during, if able). Then you'll see. Then you can truly understand the grating, non-stop inquisitions I suffer.

But, let's not speak of such things anymore today. Let's talk about the holidays. Why do we do this? I just don't understand why we've manufactured such elaborate, materialistic events. Christ wasn't born on December 25, that day is a pagan holiday merged with our Lord's birth to trick them into converting.

Thanksgiving was made up by the settlers, because they were just grateful that they survived the winter. As an aside, I actually do appreciate Thanksgiving. I mean, there is nothing wrong with a holiday that is all about being thankful for what you have. But when I see Thanksgiving decorations in the stores and they have obviously commercialized it, I don't know. What's next? Before you know it, they'll have us exchanging gifts on this day as well.

New Year's is just an excuse to get tanked. It's all** just one big excuse to sell crap and party. Decorations, gifts, lights, music...

Take my mom, for example. This woman has no less than 6 or 7 gigantic storage bins*** that are filled to the brim with decorations. For the most part, these decorations are separated according to theme. So, each year, she'll go to the storage unit and peruse her stash until she has determined what this years theme shall be. Yes, it's all Christmas-themed, smarty-pants. But, she's got a whole set of icy-blue decorations. She's got a whole theme of nothing but Christmas plaid decorations. She's got angel themes, she's got snowman themes, she's got reindeer themes. She has corresponding accessories and Christmas music out the wazoo. And she always buys a real tree.

I tell her every year, that although her house looks lovely, it's just not worth it. I try to do as she did when I was a child and remind her that "He's the reason for the season" and all the decorating and present-buying aren't necessary. See, if this woman did the decorating tirelessly, and obviously took great joy in doing it, I would say nothing. Because, truly, it's lovely. But, all I ever hear from the day after Halloween until at least a week after the New Years are complaints, complaints, complaints. "There's not enough time to put up all the decorations." "I don't know which theme to pick this year." "Nobody ever helps me with all this, I have to do it all by myself." "You know, it takes me nearly three days to get the tree all put up and decorated. I have to do it practically all by myself, you know." "I just don't know if I'm going to be able to do it all this year." So, this year, I think I finally convinced her to get a fake tree. That should help, somewhat.

She still insists that all the decorating and such are important for the kids, and I agree somewhat...I mean, I still remember the thrill of this time of year. It used to feel wonderful. I got excited watching Christmas specials on TV, and the commercials were so damn sugary sweet it made me cry. Especially the one for Folgers, where the boy comes in from college or somewhere, and puts on some coffee while everyone's asleep, and the little kid catches him laying out presents or something, and then the mom comes down the stairs and says, "Peter! Oh, Peter! You're home! You're home!" Yeah. Waterworks like clockwork. Those damn commercial makers. I also remember the joys of seeing all the decorations. My mom and I used to drive the neighborhoods at night to look at all the beautifully decorated houses and stores and streets.

But, of course, as a child I assumed that all the shopkeepers and city workers lined the streets and buildings with lights and decorations because they, too, felt the holiday spirit as strongly as I did. Once I realized what a huge crock that was, it kinda lost some of the magic. So, is it important to keep this spirit alive in children, or are you just sugar-coating the world and putting off the inevitable realization that it's all a bunch of marketing tools and commercialization?

*Cold, distant North being Birmingham, all of four and a half measly hours away from me. So, read: Light-jacket cool weather, not-so-far-away city of the South. Meh. Details-shmetails.

**I'm not going to attack Hanukkah. I'm not Jewish, but that's one holiday that actually seems to have somewhat avoided the commercialization and merchandise frenzy. It's actually still about the Lord.

***There could be more. Really. I haven't re-counted in the last couple of years. They seem to multiply like rabbits.

I'm (Not) A Slave 4 U

2006-11-15T06:11:00.000-08:00

Oh, man. Have I had a good laugh. I posted that sentence in a rushed moment, never thinking about how it would sound to someone who didn't know what was going on.

Hi, my name is Jules and I am a non-smoker.

That line you read yesterday has become my mantra. I've repeated it no less than five million times, and it works. How could I possibly desire/want/crave a cigarette if the poisonous fumes do not taste good and will kill me? Facing the three truths in that statement makes it virtually impossible for me to actually want one, so the only other reason in the world that I should find a cigarette in my mouth is if it's beyond my control. And guess what? It's not beyond my control because I am not a slave. I was a slave to a terrible addiction until I realized that the only person/thing keeping me a prisoner was myself. And I refuse to willingly BE that person. I have more self-respect than that. And I truly feel that I can control it.

Of course there are "cravings". But, honestly, when I think about it and realise that by "satisfying" that craving I am only facilitating more cravings, it makes no sense to give in. Especially when "giving in" means that I'm inhaling poisonous fumes that do not taste good and will kill me.

Day Two has been easier so far than Day One. Yesterday was miserable. I cried a lot and had massive mood swings. I was scared that I couldn't do it, scared that I could. It was like finally ending an abusive relationship. You know it's the right thing to do, but it's still sad because you have so many memories wrapped up together. Jeez. I am comparing cigarettes to an actual relationship. Hmmm. But, hey. We were together for over 13 years, we had a very tight relationship. There wasn't a time when I wasn't thinking about the next cigarette. Everything that happened in a day was broken into different parts, the separators being the "smoke breaks".

Really, the only real problem that I've had is dealing with my boredom. Before, I would just smoke if I couldn't think of anything else to do. It was a way to pass time. It was something I could do no matter what. Happy, sad, angry, glad, tired, alert, busy, bored, morning, noon and night, all of these would apply for an excuse to smoke one more. Then I realised just how entwined cigarettes were with my life. That's also when I realised that all that other stuff is just life, and I don't need a cigarette to celebrate it or validate it or justify it. And when I'm bored, besides smoking, I was also thinking, usually. Or walking outside. Or something. It wasn't just about the cigarettes. So, now when I get bored, I can still walk outside, or think, or do something.

It's been hard. And it's only Day Two. But, at the same time, it's only as hard as I make it. If I immediately remind myself that the poisonous fumes do not taste good and they will kill me, then I feel better. I know that being a non-smoker is better than being a slave.

Today I Realized...

2006-11-13T18:37:00.000-08:00

...the poisonous fumes DO NOT taste good, and they will kill you.

Movie Review: The Princess Bride

2006-11-11T15:16:00.000-08:00

I spent yesterday afternoon watching The Princess Bride with my family. I never get tired of that movie. When I was about 9, I watched it religiously 4 or 5 times a day for about a month straight. I may have a few OCD tendancies. Anyway, I could recite that movie from beginning to end flawlessly. It is without a doubt, my favorite movie of all time. So, about a week ago, I bought the DVD. Now I know all these little behind-the-scenes goodies.

Like, did you know that Robyn Wright-Penn (Princess Buttercup) was only 19 when they made that movie?

Or that Cary Elwes (Westley) and Mandy Patinkin (Inigo Montoya) practiced fencing for hours every day, every spare moment, to perfect what has been called the best sword-fight scene of all time? You know, neither of them had stunt-doubles.

One of my favorite scenes is The Battle of Wits. That Wallace Shawn (Vizzini) is hysterical. The best is when he says, "You fell victim to one of the classic blunders! The most famous is never get involved in a land war in Asia, but only slightly less well-known is this: never go in against a Sicilian when death is on the line!" And then he laughs exactly 20 times, and falls over dead. You know, reading over that last line, I realize that it couldn't be that funny if you've never seen the movie. Hmmm...but then again, who hasn't seen that movie?

All in all, it's the best love story/adventure tale of all time. Boys and girls alike can get into it. As "Grandpa" said, "Are you kidding? Fencing, fighting, torture, revenge, giants, monsters, chases, escapes, true love, miracles..."

It doesn't sound too bad. I'll try and stay awake...

The GME's 2006

2006-11-09T14:18:00.000-08:00

Oh, I am so excited. Last year, I totallly missed out on participating, but not this time! The Everywhere Man is once again hosting The Great Mix Experiment. You know, I want to write a really great post about this, but UC already did that. And I don't want to sound like I copied her word for word, so go read her post about the GME's 2006.

Then, when you do that, you will be convinced that this is a really neat, great idea.

Everywhere Man: The Great Mix Experiment 2006

What NOT To Write About...

2006-11-08T19:11:00.000-08:00

I really don't like it when I wait till the last minute to post each day. I'm always yawning like crazy and grasping for a topic to talk about, any topic, but nothing seems good enough. Or, rather, it's not that it's not good enough, it's that I couldn't possibly expand on it. Does that make sense? Let me elaborate...

Off the wall topics that have nowhere to go:

The only thing I saw in the way of news today was the asinine non-stop reporting on the Britney/K-Fed divorce. The only thing I gleaned from all that non-sense was that I will now only refer to him as Fed-Ex. See? Isn't that a stupid thing to write about? Why do I read this trash?

My boss is still a moron, but the balance has been restored somewhat because we have a new person on the crew who has as much power as The Chucky-poo(p) and this new person is benevolent and kind. This has made a world of difference in my working environment.

We've been out of creamer at the house for the last three days, but my sweet bf still makes coffee every morning. I may be a coffee snob. I have to have French Vanilla Creamer or it's just gross. He thinks it's fine with just milk, blech. I bought creamer at the store tonight, and lo and behold...we're out of coffee. Ironic, don't you think?

I watched the History Channel tonight. The strangest, most fascinating shows come on that channel sometimes.

Ooops. I forgot to tell my boss that the kids are out of school on Friday for Veteran's Day. Great.

Oh, another great thing about the Blogger Beta is the spell check. It's much better now. There's no pop-up window showing misspellings, it's just highlights the incorrect words and when you click on the word, it shows a drop-down-like menu of suggestions. WAY better.

Ok, now that I've rambled my way past nine-thirty, I think I'll call it a day.

The Big Switch

2006-11-07T09:33:00.000-08:00

Has anyone switched to the Beta version of Blogger yet? I'd be grateful to hear any feedback. As with anything "Beta", there are probably bugs and kinks to work out. But, so far, everything I've read about it seems good. There are labels that can be applied to posts so that similar topics can be grouped together within the archives, and the thing that really caught my attention is that in Beta your Blogger account is linked with your Google account. And we all know how much I love Google. I think I'm gonna do it. I could always switch back, right? Right? Well, I'll keep my fingers crossed, anyway. I'll update later, after I have a chance to play around with the new setup.

Update: Well, I'm excited! I found out right before I made the switch, that no, you can't switch back. But, I took a deep breath and did it anyway. And I am so glad I did. Now, I can put labels on all my posts. And, the whole dashboard layout is better. I can't wait to see what else they have in store for this new version.

Update 2: Wow. I really like the Beta version better. I changed some colors and font sizes and other such detail. While I still wish I had more power over my template, those pesky line-break problems are now gone, whoo-hoo!!

Book Review: Children Are From Heaven

2006-11-04T04:14:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was busy. Did a lot of housecleaning and had some much-needed retail therapy. I went to Books-A-Million and once again, came away happy. I'm reading a book called Children Are From Heaven, by the author John Gray. I encourage any parent to read this, it's fantastic. It makes a lot of issues quite clear. I had my doubts in the beginning of the book; the author can be a bit long-winded and repetitive. However, I realised early on that it serves a purpose by making the five simple concepts proposed in this book...second-nature. He explains why spanking and other forms of punishment just don't work in today's society and then tells you what does. I've never been a fan of spanking. Growing up, I was maybe spanked two or three times. So, I don't do it. But, in dealing with my own kids as a single mom, I sometimes don't know what else to do but be stern in order to get them to do the right things. This guy in this book tells me that it's not necessary to do it that way at all. Totally revamping my outlook on parenting. I've always felt like I was a good mom, but that I could be better, don't we all? I was blessed with two sweet, eager-to-please angels. But, as any child can, they have their moments. Those times can be especially frustrating. And lately, it's seemed that they were growing more and more rebellious of following directions and arguing with each other more and more often. But, I tell you, I implemented the very first thing that was suggested in the book, any by golly, the kids did exactly what I asked, without attitude, with smiles on their faces, and happy to be doing as they should. I'm not yet halfway through the book, but I can't wait to learn more. The author seems to be a good Christian father with exciting new philosophies about what works, what doesn't, and why. I highly recommend it. The more I read, the more I'll write about it. I really feel compelled to share this with everybody, the book just makes sense.

What books would you recommend?

Day 3: I Heart Google

2006-11-03T12:34:00.000-08:00

Google is so commonplace now that I often hear people say, "You should Google that." Have I told anyone how much I love Google? No? Oh, well, ok then.

I have everything I can feasably use that Google makes. I have Gmail. Love, love, LOVE that. Trust me when I say that (I think) Gmail is better than anything else. Mostly. I've tried Hotmail. I've tried Yahoo!. I've had many an OutLook account with the various companies I've worked for. I have nothing against any of these reputable companies. I still use all of them even. I use Hotmail for people that I rarely talk to. I don't know why. I guess it's because it's the first email of my own that I ever had. Call it sentimental. I use Yahoo! for spam. If I ever have to register for something online and they want my email, I give them the Yahoo!. I have to use OutLook for work, and it serves it's purpose well. However, Gmail is the only one that makes me happy. For one thing, no more having to create several different folders for storing my old mail. Instead, I just hit "archive", and poof! It dissapears. But there's more! Let's say I want to find that long ago forgotten-about message from Auntie Edna. I just use Google's handy-dandy search feature built right into my email, and poof! Any and all messages from Auntie Edna magically appear on my screen. I don't know where they've been hiding, nor do I care. They've just appeared when I wanted them to. Ok, let's get more complicated. What if my best friend and I send each other no less that 30 emails to each other every single day, but I need to find a very specific conversation about, oh God, I don't know...nail polish. Now, with any other email account, each and every email that she and I send back and forth would be stored separately from each other, and for one week that would be something like, 150 emails, easily, that I'd have to check one by agonizing one for that one crucial detail about nail polish and how it could cause World Peace or something. If that were the case, I don't think I'd ever find that dang email. I'd be too frustrated by the endless sea of email. But, no! World Peace can be found within Gmail quite easily! See, in Gmail, when you and a friend are sending messages back and forth to each other and they have the same subject line, each response gets tacked onto the end of the conversation. All the previous messages are condensed, so they're not "in the way", and the new message is on top. Neat! That's why I love it. Now, back to nail polish and World Peace. I would just type in the search box "nail polish, world peace" and it would find that one email and highlight the part I'm looking for! It's such a smart mail server. Now, it's not perfect, mind you. It's relatively new and theoretically it's still in Beta. I'm not happy about the fact that it doesn't support smiley faces (emoticons, or whatever). I mean, how can I convey real feeling if I can't go :)? Or :D? Frustrating, I tell you! But, all that aside, I love it.

...walks away from computer, thinks about it till after work*...

I also really like Google Earth. That is single-handedly the.best.program.ever. Also, Picasa Photo Editor. Easy enough for someone who's never done much photo editing.

Google Personalized Homepage is also another of my favorites. You should see it. See, I'm a celebrity gossip (and blog) junkie. Shhhh! Don't tell anybody, especially my boss. I have no less than... (number removed out of shame)(*hangs head) a certain amount of links that I can always keep track of updates. Favorite blogs, news feeds, things like that.

Meh. I'm tired. I was going to put up all kinds of links to give Google and it's fine features the props it deserves, but no.

What kind of computer programs do you recommend?

*never try to half-write something and then go home. Inner Critic nightmare.

My Paradise

2006-11-02T11:49:00.000-08:00

I've always wanted to live here. I grew up in Birmingham, Alabama. I lived there my whole life. Every single year, sometimes more than once, the whole family would pile up in the car and take a vacation at the beach. I always loved it. Often, while standing there, staring at the waves, I felt such a powerful energy about it, I really can't explain it. It was a breathtaking experience for me as a child, and made me realize just how small I was inside this great big world. I still feel that way when I go down there.

A little over a year ago, right before the Fourth of July, I made my mind up that if I wanted to live here I should just do it. What had I been waiting for all these years? No one was stopping me, but me. So, I did it. I made a few trips down there to establish a residence, I put most of my furniture in storage, took a deep breath, and moved. Oh, it was rough. If I'd taken more time to plan, it could've been easier. I had some money saved, so that made it a little easier at first. But, it took me three months to find a job.

I'll never forget that day. The day I finally got a job, I had gone to no less than 40 (yes, that's four-zero) different establishments. The town I live in is relatively small, but it's a tourist town. So, I went from one end of the beach to the other that day, stopping at restaurants, gas stations, what we call "head shops" or novelty shops, real estate offices, grocery stores, hotels, animal clinics, wave-runner rental booths, specialty stores, and two different marinas. You name it, I probably visited it that day. Of course, most of these places were what I like to call "junk jobs", not a job I would particularly want, but when the money is running out, you'll take anything you can get. And I had gotten desperate. It's not that I hadn't been looking for a job up until then, in fact, far from it. It's just that this town runs in seasons. If you're looking at the wrong time, you just won't find anything. I was looking for work at the tail-end of the tourist season, when businesses were just about to begin the winter lay-offs (i.e. not hiring). Aside from pounding the pavement, I had also faxed my resume to about 15 different businesses. So, long story short, it was a pretty discouraging day.

Late in the afternoon, I was really having to force myself to keep going when I was stopped in traffic by a lady working for a construction site. After she let the traffic move again, I pulled over and asked her if the company she worked for was hiring. "No, I don't think so," she started, "but you know, if you go right down the road there, I think the next jobsite is looking for someone." I quickly thanked her and got back on the road. I was so uplifted, there was a chance! I hurried down the road, found a place to park, and marched right into the construction trailer. I asked if they were hiring and the man I spoke to asked what I was looking for. Don't you hate that question? I always want to respond to that with, "whatever pays the most", but that's obviously no good. So, I told him, "Well, I was told you have a traffic controller position, but I'm qualified to be an office assistant if you have anything like that available." And you know what? They had just let go their Office Manager a few days beforehand, and he hired me on the spot!

I tell you, that day was a true blessing. Down to the last few tightly budgeted dollars, pounding the pavement for roughly seven hours, at the very last place I came to, I came away with a much better than expected job. I truly believe it was a lesson in patience and humility. I've been with this company for over a year now. And even though I detest the Chucky-poo(p) (WoodChuck, Chuckles) with a white-hot fiery, furious passion sometimes, I'll always be grateful to him for hiring me that day. That blessing truly came at a time when I needed it the most and enabled me to continue to live here, in my own personal paradise. Every day I get up and get to drive along the coast, look out at the ocean, and still feel that stirring of excitement that I felt as a child. You can't buy that kind of priceless happiness.

NaNoWriMo and NaBloPoMo...Wait, What Was That?

2006-11-02T08:02:00.000-08:00

This is what I'm pledging to do. I can't promise I'll stick to it, but I'm going to give it my best effort. Many thanks to Katrina for giving me the idea.

I'm not going to make any apologies for my long hiatus. In fact, I wasn't even going to mention it, because it sounds so much like any other blogger who just stops writing for awhile. But, I figured that, if nothing else, it would just be a topic that I could write something about. And some people might even be slightly interested in why I haven't been writing. Oh, who am I kidding? It's the same ol', same ol', uninteresting stuff.

Let's see...well, to start off, when I stopped writing I had just broken up with a very bad boyfriend and within a couple of weeks, started seeing someone new. I vented about the jerk, here and here, but then grew very weary of that topic. So I stopped. But since it was still such a prominently disturbing issue in my life, I couldn't think of anything else to write about. Then, after all of that was over, I had found a wonderful man who I quickly fell in love with. And you know how that can be. It's a very consuming thing. We've been inseperable since we started dating and...well, you know. I suppose that I could've written about that, too, but that little critic inside me kept telling me not to tell sappy, run-of-the-mill, oh he's so wonderful kind of stories. I mean I will, eventuallly, but not just yet.

So, now that I've gotten all that out of the way, I'd like to say I'm excited about this upcoming month. I have NO idea what I'm going to write about, but I know that even if it just sucks here and there, it will help me grow and get back in the habit of writing again. I've really missed it. In fact, I will probably post twice today, just to make up for yesterday. Thanks again, Katrina. Happy NaBloPoMo and NaNoWriMo everybody!

The Value Of Today's Education

2006-07-19T14:06:00.000-07:00

My best friend, Trixie, and I email each other several times a day. You know, the usual stuff, our significant others, stress over bills, work and the like. Lately, though, our conversations have gravitated more towards the general bitching and moaning over the injustices wrought upon us by our dictator-like bosses. Although we have concurred that mine is, in fact, a total douchebag, we realized that it’s pretty f-ing funny, too.

One of my seemingly never-ending tasks is to proof-read documents and letters that WoodChuck has to prepare and send out almost everyday. Now, don’t start with the hate-mail, people. I may make a mistake or two from time to time, but at least I have the presence of mind to look at the said mistake and say to myself, “Hmm. That just doesn’t look quite right.” WoodChuck, on the other hand, will write things like this:

“Up on acceptence of this charges I will roll this costs an any other changes in to an AIA approved for mat as soon as possible.”

Um, yeeeaaah. And then, when I go back to him with this,

“Upon acceptance of these charges, I will roll these costs and any other changes into an AIA approved format as soon as possible.”

the man actually has the nerve to argue with me about.

For example,

“Are you certain it should be ‘these’ instead of ‘this’?”

“Yes, the word ‘charges’ is plural therefore you need to use the plural form of the pronoun ‘this’, used as an adjective for ‘charges’.”

“Are you sure that a coma is appropriate in this place?”

Agh!!! The man thinks I’m an idiot! He actually thinks that he is sooo much smarter than me. And yet, at the same time, he doesn’t realize that “upon” is one word, not two. Or “format”, for that matter! He is driving me nuts!

Listen, I realize that I am not the smartest smarty-pants on the planet, ok? I may be a know-it-all most of the time, but I make mistakes just like everybody else. When I write on my blog, I use lots of sentence fragments, and misspell many a word. But, that is how you convey feeling. It’s how we speak in real life. If I were typing a formal letter to a business or whatnot, of course I would be using all the proper grammar rules. The point I am getting at here is: this man is beyond stupid. And he has a college ed-jew-mah-kay-shun.

Let me just clarify what I mean by “beyond stupid.”

As I said before, Trixie and I discuss this topic ad nauseum each day. So, when I filled her in on the event described above, she had this to say:

“...Truly, your version is correct and his is so incredibly, unbelievably WRONG. You should just let him look like an ass next time, ROFL. Can’t you sneak into his office and turn on his language editor in Word? Wouldn’t that at least show him all the red- and green-underlined junk that he would create? I have no doubt his entire page or each sentence would be nothing but red and/or green! LOL.”

Um, yeah, remember beyond stupid? His Word editor is ON. It goes beyond natural acceptable levels of stupidity here. I could be standing over his shoulder and see the green and red pop up, and it's like he doesn't even see it. And then, he will sometimes ask me to edit over his shoulder before he prints it out, and I will say,

"See where that green line is under 'their'?"

And he will say, "Yeah?"

And I will say, "Well...(trying to give him a sec to figure it out on his own)...it should be ' t.h.e.r.e.'."

"Oh, really? You think?"

"Yeah, that's what that green line is for."

"What green li...oh, ok. I see it now. Hmm, wonder why it wasn't there before?"

"Oh, it was."

"No, I'm pretty sure I didn't see it until now."

"Okaaay. Let's go on to the next one..."

Do you see why I just want to punch him in the head??? If this man were sweet, or remotely funny, or even just cute (ok, even cuteness wouldn’t make up for the way he is), maybe this would be ok. I’d probably pity him and not make such a big deal out of it. But this man is an ASS MONKEY. You can read here some of my thoughts on how he treats me. I have vented enough for one day, people. My brain hurts.

Life's Little Pleasures

2006-07-07T07:41:00.000-07:00

Ahhh, it's the little things in life that make me truly happy.

This morning my boss asked for his paycheck (we normally receive them on Thursday and pass them out on Friday), but they hadn't come in yesterday or this morning because of the holiday. So, I told him that they weren't in yet. He was upset because he's leaving early today and wouldn't be able to get his paycheck before he left. That's life's little pleasures #1.

Then, just as he was getting ready to walk out the door, his boss (the REALLY big-wig) comes in the door and starts talking about how they need to sit down and discuss this whole long list of stuff. That's life's little pleasures #2.

Is it wrong that I'm getting so much glee from my boss' discomfort? Well, probably a little, but what am I going to do? Funny is funny.

Brings A Whole New Meaning...

2006-06-16T12:40:00.000-07:00

. . . to the phrase, "Who pissed in your Cheerios this morning?"

(except that this looks like Cap'n Crunch to me...I'm just sayin')

What Is UP With The Scary Rabbits?

2006-05-03T11:34:00.000-07:00

Aghhhhhhh!!! Run for your lives!! Seriously, people. I seem to be developing a trend towards unusual rabbit images. I need ideas. If anybody wants to send me one of those thingies where I have to answer a bunch of questions, I'd do it. Just for some new material, people...oh my God...where are the rabbits eyes?!?

It's Not Rocket Science, People...Geez

2006-04-28T08:50:00.000-07:00

This is one of the most beautiful images our wonderful Hubble Space Telescope has captured recently. These stars, that are all very similar to our own sun, are about 25,000 light-years away in the Milky Way Galaxy. Ok, now that you've had your science lesson for today, kids, you can get back to work!

Well, Today's A Bust

2006-04-14T07:07:00.000-07:00

I don't want my blog to be all about links to other places, but I swear, this is worth it. It's strangely interesting. Kinda morbid, but in a fun kind of way. I found this at one of my all-time favorite places to waste time: PointlessSites.com. There's a ton of stuff there for the motivationally-challenged. As a good friend of mine says, "I'm not lazy, I just have an incredible urge to fuck off!"

HAPPY EASTER!!!

2006-04-12T05:41:00.000-07:00

Well, it's almost that time again. Time for brand-new Sunday dresses, Easter egg hunts, and more chocolate than you can shake a stick at. Here's a story you might be interested in, but I think the picture speaks for itself:

What do you think about that? Isn't he cute? Makes me want to run out and buy one. Well, maybe not. That would just be crazy, it would be like having a dog, a large, nervous dog with claws. That could hop. I don't know. I'm imagining all kinds of disasters with an animal like that. But he's so cute, you can't help but just love him. Look at those humongous fluffy toes! And those ears! Adorable!

Ok, all joking aside, let's remember the real reason for Easter and give thanks to God. Happy Easter, everybody!

UPDATE: Thanks to Undercover Celebrity for letting me know that the belligerent intellectual posted about the same thing today. What are the odds? Thanks, UC!

On a totally unrelated note: Can anyone tell me why it is that I can't start a new paragraph when I hit "enter"? In the editing box, it looks fine...just like I want it to. But on the actual blog page, it looks like one big run-on thought that just won't quit. You, my hero of blogdom, will have the reward of having your blog linked to many, many times if you can help me with this HUGELY annoying problem.

And The "Asshole Of The Year" Award Goes To...

2006-03-07T12:16:00.000-08:00

Dear Boss,

I am writing to you today because I am fed up with your bull-shit. I am a highly-educated, dependable, hard-working, dedicated employee and I am tired of being treated like a retarded, unwanted step-child.

You continue to insult me on a daily basis as if you think I will somehow find this funny. It's not.

I want to ask you if I am performing my job to your satisfaction. I know the answer to this question. Without a doubt, I am the best assistant that you have ever had, yet you continue to treat me as though I am an ungrateful child.

I do not appreciate being patronized, especially by someone who cannot even spell that word. I hope you realize that most high-school drop-outs can spell "deteriorate". This is just one of many grammatical errors that I have to correct for you on a daily basis. Also, I do not understand how you graduated with honors from collage without knowing the difference between "its" and "it's" and "your" and "you're". Did you have someone, a girlfriend perhaps, editing for you even back then? I find this completely unacceptable for someone who has as much power and influence as you do.

I also find it very insulting to be ignored when I need a moment of your time. Often, I will come to you with multiple issues that we need to discuss and, inevitably you will take a look at the first item and promptly get on the phone. And make me wait. Do you not realize that this is a HUGE waste of my time?

You have admitted that you are unable to multi-task, something that most people can to do to some degree. The reason that this makes me so angry is that it should be a simple matter of me walking into your office, going over each item one at a time, and leaving it with you or obtaining directions from you to complete what I am doing, and then walking out of the office. It is an utter lack of respect when you choose instead to get on the telephone to take care of one thing and make me wait in the meantime. Then, most times, when you do get off the phone, someone else will walk in your office and you then direct your attention to them and still make me wait. Every single day I waste at least two hours in your presence doing nothing. This is unacceptable to me.

Do you realize that people on the jobsite call you a pussy for a reason?

You sit in your little office in your button-down dress shirts, slacks, and penny loafers and dictate how things should run, while the men out in the field who are out there in the middle of it every day know how it runs.

You make your appearances out in the field once or twice a week, only to piss people off with your snide comments and observations. I have never met a man as stuck-up and arrogant as you. It would be one thing if you had balls and got out there and did a little work yourself, at least then the men would have some respect for you. But you are completely shameless in your inablility to do anything worthwhile on this job. Hell, if you quit tomorrow, I would be able to run this place as if nothing were different.

Well, I take that back.

If I were running this place, people would be taught how to multi-task and run a spell-check.

Oh, I Don't Know

2006-02-21T08:13:00.000-08:00

New favorite quotes:
"Friends are the Bacon Bits in the Salad Bowl of Life." And,
"Life is like a roll of toilet paper. The closer it gets to the end, the faster it goes."

Life Covered With Dust

2006-02-14T10:42:00.000-08:00

I wonder if I'll ever be a good writer. I'm not a child anymore, so I know that my dreams of being a famous actress or singer are slowly dwindling away to the point of impossibility. But I want to be something like that. I've always wanted to be one of those three things. Mostly, I want to be a musical artist. I've been playing the guitar for close to three years now. Not that that's a long time, cuz it's not, but I'm getting better and better. I think the only things holding me back are my fear of rejection and my choice in men. All the men I've ever dated were so short-sighted. None of them had that "reaching for your dreams" mentality. They all saw my attempts to learn music and my aspirations to be a singer pointless. Or worse, stupid. Even now, my new boyfriend and I just moved in together and you know what? In the month that we've been sharing space, I've picked up my guitar ONCE. And then he asked me, "Would you mind doing that a little later on? I can't hear the T.V." So, I don't do it when he's there. But the only time he's not there is when I'm not there (work). So what's a girl to do? I wish I was at the point in my life where I didn't have to depend on anyone anymore. Will that day ever come? It better. I'm tired of watching my guitar, and my life, collect dust.